When in Doubt, Blame the Singer's Girlfriend
by RRose
Summary: Bella Swan - rock band New Moon's lone female guitarist - has always loved front man Edward Cullen and always hated his slut of a girlfriend. He's been blind to her feelings before, but things are about to change as soon as New Moon's world tour starts.
1. Chapter 1

_There are many ways of getting over nervousness. One, you can inhale a calming aroma such as orange peels and lavender, two, take a warm, soothing bath, three, drink a cup of tea, four…_

Oh, screw this.

I closed the web browser and shut down my laptop with a groan. My stomach was in knots and was inhabited by strong, assertive butterflies. My heart was racing and I couldn't focus on anything.

Typical pre-show jitters.

I looked around the green room to the other members of my band, New Moon. Jasper, our bassist, was doing weird squats in front of a full length mirror. Emmett, the drummer, had his ears muffled by earphones and was mindlessly tapping his drumsticks on the wooden coffee table. Then there was Edward, our vocalist, who sang quietly to himself while looking at our set list and pacing.

This was what New Moonlooked like before any show we do: completely at ease, acting strange, or dead on nervous.

This was our last show in our European tour. Tonight, we were in Munich, Germany performing in the Olympic Stadium. When we first arrived here, I have to admit I wasn't this nervous, but when Rosalie, our manager, cheerfully announced that all the tickets were sold out, the sweat started to trickle down my back.

Being the only female in the band, I always felt like I needed to step it up and prove myself worthy of being in a world-famous rock band. When I first became part of New Moon_,_the media made a big sundae out of it. I mean, come on, it's not uncommon for a single girl to be in an all-male band, but then again, I don't know any other band with a lone female who's the guitarist.

My stomach did a little back flip suddenly and I felt like I was going to hurl.

"Bells, you okay?" Jasper asked as he walked over to me on the sofas. I nodded robotically. "I'm doing fine."

"You don't look fine." He observed. I eyed him enviously. Out of the four of us, Jasper was always the calm one. While I have a pounding pulse, Jasper just does his squats and feels absolutely normal. I tried doing those squats once and all I got were painful thighs.

"Nervous." I admitted.

"We all are." Edward replied as he stopped singing and leaned on the sofa's back rest. "I have this big fear of just not being able to make a sound later. At least all _you_have to do is strum your little guitar with your magic fingers."

I slapped a throw pillow at his face. "You say it like it's so easy."

He chuckled and threw the pillow back at me. Before I could recover, he was already tickling me from behind.

For a moment, I forgot about my nervousness and my stomach was filled with a different kind of butterflies. My heart was pounding for another reason, too. For sure, my concentration was highly focused on Edward's touch.

A lot of people say that Edward and I look good together. And by a lot of people, I do mean Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and his wife slash band makeup artist, Alice. I have to admit, that fact stings a bit for me; that so little people believe we have a chance at being together. But then again, the public doesn't really see us as a couple because Edward was already dating someone.

Our record company head's daughter – and also the biggest whore you will ever meet – Lauren Mallory.

They just began dating early on this month, and I have to admit I wanted to kill someone because of that. Why? Because I knew Lauren was just a typical slutty hoebag who wanted to be famous. I can tell you that the feelings she had for Edward were nothing but lust.

Another reason – and the biggest reason, I suppose – was that though I wouldn't admit it to anyone, it's already pretty obvious and an unspoken truth.

I was in love with Edward Cullen.

"Stop it!" I laughed-shouted as his fingers found their way to my sides. "Seriously, I'm dying of lack of oxygen here!"

Edward chuckled and let me go as he jumped onto the sofa next to me. "Sorry," He said as he mussed my hair. "You're just too hard to resist."

I blushed. "You're tempting yourself." I teased.

"Time for the monitors!" Tyler Crowley, our sound guy, announced suddenly as he entered the room with the silver case.

"Edward, you go first." I said as I nudged him with my elbow. "The front man always goes first."

"Then you're coming second. The guitarist always does." He replied as he took my hand and pulled me up. Tyler handed Edward his pack and tossed me mine. He did the same to Jasper and Emmett, who almost missed it by a few millimeters.

As Tyler helped Edward fit his ear piece, the green room door opened and Rosalie sauntered in. "Heeeeey. How's my favorite rock band?"

"A wreck." I replied as I sat down on the coffee table.

"That's good." She replied with a laugh. "You guys are on in about twenty minutes or so, and let me tell you, the stands are absolutely packed! Alice and I went to see just now."

"Speaking of Alice, where is she?" Jasper asked.

"She went to get her bag. She'll be back, though. To touch you guys up if you need it."

I exhaled heavily as Tyler finished helping me with my ear piece. As Emmett was assisted with his, Alice danced in with her heavy looking black bag.

"Bella," she said the moment she saw me. "Aren't you going to put on any make-up?"

"I did place some eye liner." I protested. "Took me a solid hour to do it, but I have it on!"

"Well, that's not enough! Get your ass over here and let me fix you. You know, you are so lucky I'm around for this."

I sighed and sat down on the chair Alice patted. With just a few strokes of her hand, she had my face primped for the bright lights of the stage.

"There. Now you look _really_stunning." Alice said with a smile as I stood up and resisted the urge to scratch my eyes.

"Uh, thank you."

"I'm serious! You look like a rock star! A really hot rock star at that."

"In case you haven't noticed, Alice, I already am a rock star." I laughed and felt the nervousness deepen. "Hey, Rose. How long before show time?"

"Hm? More or less seven minutes." She replied, looking up from her PDA. Edward let out a noisy breath from his mouth. "You know, I have this weird feeling something's going to happen."

Emmett nodded. "Yeah. Like Bella tripping on wires or something." He guffawed and high fived with Jasper.

"You are kind of a klutz, Bella." Jasper said while he plucked his Fender bass. I rolled my eyes. "Tell me something I don't know."

A knock came from the door. It was Jessica, the stage manager. "Guys, it's time." She said cheerfully. "Let's get going!"

I took a big and deep breath before picking up my guitar and following her out with the rest of the band. We stood at our designated spots below the stage. Already, I could hear the roaring crowd.

"You guys ready?" Edward asked.

"No." I replied.

"Great. Let's rock this bitch."

I heard our cue and the ground began to lift us up. The arena was still pretty dark when we were finally at the level of the audience, but I could still make them out. After counting to twenty like how we planned, I began with the powerful opening notes of our first song.

"That was a good!" Edward said, breathless as we walked backstage for some interviews. The four of us were sweaty, tired, but happy that the last show was successful.

I nodded. "Yeah. Though I have to admit, I was a bit freaked out by some of the signs out there. 'Bella, make me a baby'?" I shivered as I recalled.

"Yeah, but who can blame the dude." He replied. "You were hot tonight."

I blushed as we entered a room where cameras were already flashing and reporters were armed with their microphones, tape recorders and pens and papers. We all took our seats and plastered our usual smiles.

The interview was over in just ten minutes, which I was thankful for. My fingers were tired, sweat matted my back, and I could use a Coke.

We were ready to leave in after about half an hour and as we walked to our bus, the fans mobbed us as usual. I signed as many magazines, notebooks and hands as I could.

"My legs hurt so bad." Emmett whined as he sat down on the leather bench of the tour bus. He stretched his legs slowly. "This is what I get for sitting down for two hours."

"I just really need a shower." Jasper said as he made his way to the back of the bus.

"Where are we having dinner?" I asked as I took off my leather jacket. "I'm starving here."

"You fuckers seriously complain too much." Edward commented as he opened the fridge and got out a beer. "Stop being such girls." I glared at him. "No sexism intended." He added quickly.

"As if you aren't hungry either." I pointed out and as if to punctuate my point, his stomach growled. "Heh, that's what I thought."

We drove for a few miles before stopping in front of a mall. Rosalie burst through the door the minute we parked.

"Get your asses up and at 'em, fellas." She announced. "We're having dinner here."

Jasper peeked out of the window. "You do realize that at this time of the night, the mall is packed, right?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "You'll be fine. Besides, we don't have a choice."

"Where do you plan to park this bad boy, by the way?" Emmett asked. "We're doing a horrible job being inconspicuous." He looked out the window to see some people looking at our tour bus.

"Let us handle that shit." She insisted as she re opened the door. "Now get your asses moving if you want any dinner."

Reluctantly, we exited the bus in the most un-rock star like clothes we owned fifteen minutes later. Of course, just because they were the least rock band-looking duds doesn't mean that they're not rock band-looking.

We entered the mall with Rosalie and Alice, trying to act like we've been to this mall before. With Emmett engaging Rosalie in conversation and Alice shamelessly flirting with Jasper, I was left to walk the way with Edward.

"I don't understand any of those signs." He said with a laugh as he looked at the huge mall directory.

"I think I do." I said. "I speak a little German."

"Really?" he raised his eyebrows. I nodded. "Yep. That's what you get when you listen to Tokio Hotel too much. Their music's pretty catchy though, so really, you can't blame me."

We kept walking around the mall and it was just a matter of time until someone noticed us.

"Edward Cullen!" a blonde fan girl in a New Moonshirt shouted. Immediately, people began looking our way and before I knew it, we were plagued by fans asking for autographs and pictures. They all shouted things in German and English and some even sang our songs in the background.

"You're the greatest guitar player ever!" a red head kid shouted as he shoved his grey Jackson Warrior Electric Guitar to me. "And you're really hot, too!"

I smiled at the comment and whipped out a Sharpie pen, signing my usual loopy signature on the guitar's body.

I think I signed about thirty different somethings, posed for three dozen pictures and heard thousands of compliments. I was already getting really hungry so thankfully, our security was able to contain the fans somewhat and we still managed to get to a restaurant.

"Well, wasn't that fun!" Alice giggled as we sat down. She ran a hand through Jasper's blond hair. "I never knew my man was so _wanted!"_

"Not as wanted as Edward, though. Half the girls there were ready to dry hump you, man. And that's at the very least." Jasper laughed and shared another manly high five with Emmett. I laughed with them despite my feeling of queasiness due to mild jealousy.

We gave our orders to the waiter and he took them to the kitchen, but only after asking us for autographs himself.

"I can't wait till we get back to L.A." I said while we waited for our food to arrive. "Touring is fun and stuff, but I need a break!"

"Well, you better not get used to the easy life, missy." Rosalie teased. "You guys are going back on the road after two months for the world tour. Plus, in the two month break, we have interviews, photo shoots, TV appearances…"

"And aren't we releasing a new album soon?" Emmett asked as he scratched his head and stretched. "I'm itching to do new songs."

"Easy, bro. We'll do that after the world tour." Edward said just when the drinks arrived. The food followed soon afterwards and we dug into them like people who didn't eat for weeks, which is what we felt like anyway. Performing on stage really takes a toll on us like no other.

Once back at the tour bus, I took off my shoes and went to lay down on my bed or coffin as I'd like to call it. The rectangular shape of it ingrained on the wall gave me the idea the moment I saw it.

"Sleepy?" Edward asked as he went to lie down on the coffin across mine.

I yawned. "Maybe I'll fall asleep, but I don't know. We're just driving to the airport now." My phone vibrated from my pocket and I sat up to see who was calling.

"Hey, Jake. How's my house?"

"Nice to hear from you too, sis."

I laughed, glad to hear from my brother. Currently, he was living with me in Los Angeles, but lately I've heard that he got himself a girlfriend. I guess he'd move out soon to have more privacy, and that's beyond fine by me.

"What's up?" I said as I leaned against my pillow.

I could almost hear him shrug. "Eh. Nothing unusual."

"So why are you calling?"

"I…ah…just have a favor to ask, that's all. I've honestly been putting it off for a while but since you're coming home and all…I mean, you are coming home, right?"

"Yeah, yeah." I said, rolling my eyes. "On my way to the airport now. What is it, anyway? If you're going to auction off any of my guitars again, I'll – "

"No, no, it's not that!" Jacob quickly defended himself. I looked at Edward from the corner of my eye to see him laughing at the memory of the time my brother auctioned off my precious custom Gibsons last time I went away.

"Shut up," I murmured to him before sticking my tongue out.

"What?"

"Hm? Nothing. Edward' s just being a jackass as usual. Nothing new there." I rolled my eyes again for his benefit.

"Hey, speaking of Edward, how's he doing? He isn't banging you too hard is he?" Jacob's voice turned all manly, like a father giving his innocent and naïve daughter the talk. "Because if he is, you can tell me and I can whoop his sorry a-"

"Whoa, whoa, Jake what the hell are you talking about?" I interrupted. "We aren't…he has a…I thought you knew…"

There was silence at the other end of the line. "Wait, you guys aren't dating?"

I gasped and laughed nervously, especially with the object of our discussions being at earshot. "No. What made you say so anyway?"

He cleared his throat and his voice turned shy. "Ah, well…you know what the tabloids can print…I don't pay attention to any of the crap they publish, but the pictures…"

I sighed and leaned further back so that I was slumping. "Don't let the pictures fool you, Jake. They aren't as they seem." I couldn't hide the disappointment in my voice. "So what favor are you asking again?"

"Oh. Well, I'm dating this girl, Vanessa, and…well, I was wondering if she could stay here…for a bit. Just until we find a place."

"We, eh? So this one's serious?"

His voice turned shy again. "Yeah, pretty much."

I laughed. "Yeah, sure Jake, she can stay over. Just make sure to keep your activities to the guest room. I don't want to have to disinfect my entire house."

After sharing a few more insults and jokes, I said goodbye and tossed my iPhone to the foot of my coffin. I was already tired and ready to sleep and the clear and straight streets of Munich weren't helping one bit. I was about to lose myself in deep slumber, until I felt something, or someone, sit at the foot of my coffin.

I opened my eyes to see Edward there. "So how's Jacob?" he asked.

I yawned and sat up, pulling my knees up. "He's doing alright. Found himself a girlfriend named Vanessa, apparently." I yawned again. "Must've gotten her by announcing he's Bella Swan's brother, you know, the one in that band with Edward Cullen."

Edward laughed and leaned to his right so that his head was resting on my knees. The touch made my heart jump and beat at double time.

Jasper passed by right at the very moment with a giggling Alice right behind him. He saw us, but Edward refused to hold his head upright. Eventually, Jasper had to clear his throat. "Uh, can you guys…move to that part of the tour bus?" he pointed to the front. "We…need some privacy."

"Bus sex." I murmured as I got up and followed Edward away from the coffins. We passed by Rosalie and Emmett in the dining area of the bus, talking, so we just went ahead and sat down at the lounge part at the front.

Edward's phone rang and my hands clenched into fists the moment I realized who was on the other end.

_Lauren._

I got up from my seat and cursed at the bitch internally as I tried to think of a place to go. The coffin room was a big no, and maybe Emmett and Rosalie didn't want to be disturbed, so the kitchen wasn't an option, either. Still, there was no way in hell I was staying here while Edward spoke to that scumbag.

I started walking anyway, and since fate really hated me, the bus chose to stop abruptly at the moment.

"Whoa!" I shouted before landing face down on the rug. It was painful, no kidding, and I slammed my elbow accidentally against something hard.

"Bella! You, okay?" Edward asked as he dropped down to the floor and helped me up.

"'M fine." I replied, embarrassed and blushing. He laughed while he held my arms. "Always such a klutz."

I noticed that his phone was still active on the couch. "Aren't you going to…" I gestured to it. He looked at it for a while. "Nah."

I nodded and sat back down on the leather couch where I fell asleep until we reached Munich Airport where we thankfully had to wait in no time at all for our flight back to the US.

I slept through the entire plane ride back home. When we finally landed, I contemplated on how I was going to get home.

Thankfully, Jacob was there at the receiving area, waiting with a huge grin and – thank goodness – a big packet of M & M's. I smiled as I approached him and gave him a fraternal hug.

"How'd you know this was going to be my flight?" I asked as I released him. I didn't miss the paps snapping away, but I didn't care. Jacob didn't either. He shrugged. "I didn't. I've been sitting here with a bag of M & M's since," he looked at his watch. "Two hours ago."

I laughed and ruffled his hair. "Thanks. Now let's get my stuff and go home. I'm ready for my own bed."

Jake nodded and waved to the other members of New Moonas they entered the area as well. "Let's get your luggage then."

Once we were set and already making our way to Jacob's car, the paparazzi swarmed us again, so I pushed my sunglasses higher and tugged at my hood until we were zooming away from LAX and onto my house.

"So where's your girlfriend?" I asked as I opened the door into the kitchen. "Is she here? When can I meet her?"

"Tomorrow, when you're not jet lagged or tired." Jake replied. I nodded and stumbled up the stairs, leaving my brother to deal with my seven guitars and countless suitcases.

With only a week into this two month break, Rosalie was already calling us to meet up again.

I rode my Harley to our studio in West Hollywood after a quick breakfast sans Jacob and Vanessa. Looks like they had a pretty…busy night the night before, anyway.

I was the only one there when I arrived, but I was still let in anyway. I looked at my watch to see that it was just 10:00 AM. Well, of course no one would be here yet. Everyone seems to have a social life except me.

Rosalie had said last week that she needed us here at around 10 AM, and so I was there 10 AM. Jasper, Emmett and Edward all needed scolding for not following her instructions, but seeing as even _Rosalie_was late, there was no point in doing so.

I set my helmet on the table and sat down at an empty chair, propping my feet up. The seconds ticked by.

"Oh, Isabella," I said to myself. My voice echoed across the large convening room. "You are such a loser. At age 24, your social life's still dead! I thought we talked about getting out of that rut when you were in high school. Hah, I bet you thought things would change when you joined a rock band, eh? Well, too bad! That's not the case!"

I didn't feel the least bit like an idiot as I shouted at myself in the empty room. Not like anyone could hear me anyway. And besides, it felt good to vent to someone who wouldn't whine about my bitching, AKA, no one.

"You don't have that much friends, no boyfriend, no nothing. Hell, your 20 year old little brother beat you to the chase!" I sighed and shook my head. "At least if you die alone, you'll die rich…that is if you don't spend whatever you're earning now on drugs or anything stupid."

I suddenly saw myself in those 'Where are they now?' shows and shuddered.

"You can never have Edward." I said quietly after a while. "You've been working with him for a year and a half and nothing has happened between the two of you. Face it, you two'll never happen, no matter what Alice or Jasper or Emmett say."

My stomach growled amidst the bitching and since it looked like no one would be coming anytime soon, I contemplated just going out and buying a burger or something.

"Screw this. No one's going to show up because they're all busy getting laid." I muttered as I picked up my helmet and began walking over to the elevator. It descended quickly and soon I found myself in the lobby, where I saw Edward enter.

"Bella? Where are you going?" he asked as he took off his jacket.

I shrugged. "Getting something to eat. There's no one up there yet."

He looked at his watch. "Really? Wow, I thought I'd be late. I had to rush on over here."

I nodded and began to move around him until he caught my arm. "Wait. How long have you been here?"

"Since 10." I replied dryly.

"Oh. Well what have you been doing up there by yourself?"

You want to know what I've been doing? Nothing, really. Just reminding myself of how much a loser I am and how you all have lives and I don't. Not to mention how you're never going to ask me out.

"Staring at the white walls." I said. "Did you know that there's a really tiny black dot there? It's only now I actually noticed that."

Edward chuckled and looked at his watch. "Where are you going now?"

To answer his question, my stomach growled quietly. "Starbucks. Or maybe Burger King. Anywhere where they sell edible things."

"You mind if I join you?" he asked with a small smile on his beautiful face. "I could use some post-breakfast pre-lunch eats."

I smiled back at him and nodded.

I was about to ask him if we were supposed to take my Harley or his car, but then that was the time Rosalie decided to show up. Her blonde hair was held by chopsticks at the top of her head and she had her 'serious' outfit on. She eyed us as she lowered her Chanel aviators.

"Nice of you to show up, Rosalie." I said.

She waved me off. "Spare me the scolding, Isabella. I realize I'm late and I'm sorry for that, but now that I'm here, let's get down to business. Are you two the only ones here right now?"

"Yeah." Edward said. "I got here five minutes ago."

"Well, then." She straightened her shoulder bag. "Let's go to the fifteenth floor so that I can call the other two yahoos to get their butts here."

My stomach made rumbling noises again as we ascended back to the convening room.

Rosalie and Edward turned to me. "Didn't you eat anything before you went here?"

I shrugged. "Yeah. Omelets, cereal, pancakes, waffles…Vanessa's French toast is pretty damn good."

"Then why are you still hungry?" Rosalie asked as she got out her vibrating Palm Pilot and began tapping.

"I don't know. I'm always hungry." I said before chuckling softly. "Appetite of a dude, remember?"

"It seriously doesn't show." Edward said with a smile. "You don't look like you gain any weight at all. What do you do with the calories?"

I thought about his question as we heard the familiar ding and we stepped out. "Nothing really. I mean, I eat what I want and then I…well, eat some more. I don't really exercise but carrying a heavy guitar around stage all night's good enough."

"Really? No bedroom activities?" Edward teased as he sat down across from me. I turned on my deadliest glare.

"No. I'm not dating anyone and as it looks, I _won't_ be dating anyone for the rest of my life." I shrugged, trying to act like that didn't matter. "Self imposed celibacy."

"You don't have to date anyone to fuck them." Was his genius reply.

"For you, probably." I pointed out. "But just to remind you, we aren't all man whores like you."

"Alright!" Rosalie interrupted as she sat down at the head of the table. I hadn't noticed that she didn't really come with us when we entered the room. "I have good news and bad news."

We paused the glare contest and looked at Rosalie.

"Good news first. Practically every talk show and magazine wants a sit down with New Moon. Plus, we're leading in the MTV Music Awards with five nominations.

"Bad news is with all the work we need to squeeze within our two month break, you'll have no lives at all."

Well. Seeing as my life _is_my job, I didn't have any problems with that.

Rosalie jumped into full descriptions of our interviews immediately and after five minutes of her just yapping on and on, Jasper and Alice showed up.

"Sorry we're late. We had to do some…ah…." Alice giggled as she took a seat.

I waved her off. "No need to go into the gory details."

Emmett joined us fifteen minutes later with claims of a girl stalking him and a paparazzi attack in Rodeo Drive. Rosalie ignored both entrances and just kept talking enthusiastically about how many magazines we're going to be in.

"So, what's the first gig?" Jasper asked.

"_GQ_. They want to do a spread of you guys." She got out her Palm Pilot again and ran her finger through it.

"And when is that?"

"Next Monday. It's in New York, though, so we're flying there this Friday."

"Nice. Another band joy ride." Emmett said.

"That's where Lauren's staying for the weekend. Perfect timing." Edward said with a smirk. My stomach clenched at the sound of her name and I bit into the inside of my mouth until I tasted some blood.

I looked over Jasper and Emmett. They hated Lauren almost as much as I did. I have to admit, it's pretty awesome to have the band on my side in this debate, including their lovers. Alice once said that she'd rather shave her own hair off than be friends with her and I couldn't agree more. Rosalie, on the other hand, keeps a plastic smile on her face every time she's around just so we wouldn't get on the bad side of her record producer daddy.

Jasper met my eyes first. He looked up to the ceiling and took a deep breath, just like what he usually did when he was annoyed. Emmett scratched his head and maintained a disgusted expression while Edward wasn't looking directly at him. I just maintained a face that would have looked like a poker face to some people, but to those whom I've worked with for roughly two years, it was my look of irritation.

There's a good band joy ride down the toilet.


	2. Chapter 2

Friday arrived faster than I thought. I wasn't exactly dreading going to New York since I'd be with the only friends I seemed to have at the moment plus the man I loved, but since mentioned man that I loved planned on making his slut, I mean _girlfriend,_part of the group, I wasn't as excited as I should be.

During trips like this, Jacob usually volunteered to bring me to the airport but since he's more than preoccupied with his new girl, I had to figure out some way to get to LAX.

It was a half hour past 8 PM and I was in the middle of lugging my suitcase down the stairs while cursing at myself for having a multi-story house. I was in the middle of the second set of stairs when my phone rang. I answered once the heavy piece of shit was finally on the landing.

"Yeah," I huffed.

"Bella!" It was Jacob.

"Jake, where are you?" I asked. "You didn't come home yesterday, or today for that matter."

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. We went to a party and I think I had a little too much to drink…then afterwards we crashed in Vanessa's friend's place."

"I see."

"I just called to see if you were already in the airport, or if you had a ride to go there. I know I usually took you, but I don't think that I'm in the right position right now to…"

"Heh, no." I rolled my eyes as I went up the stairs again to retrieve my guitar. "As for the ride, I'll probably get a cab or something. I'm not entirely sure as to where I can leave my car in the airport for a few days, so public transportation it is."

"See, that's the problem when you don't have a driver." Jacob joked.

"Up to this day, I thought _you_were my driver." I said.

"Yeah, well driver Jacob has upgraded." He replied, his tone with a hint of smugness. I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"Okay, look, I'm sorry for bailing on you. But you won't have to go to the airport all by yourself in a cab. I don't like the idea of you doing that at night. I'll take care of the transportation."

"What are you planning? You said it yourself that you're in no condition to dri-"

"Don't sweat it. I won't be coming to pick you up, but someone will in about…oh say, fifteen minutes. Call me when you get to New York. Bye Bells!"

And with that, he hung up.

I sat down on the sofa and took out my guitar from its case. It was a Vintage Hot Rod '57 Strat and a gift from some very die-hard fans last year. I absentmindedly played a few chords while I waited for fifteen minutes to pass.

Time was almost up and I began to feel really stupid for believing that Jacob found someone to take me to the airport and that it would only take him ten minutes to get to my house. I sighed and began to pick up the phone to call for a cab when two familiar honks erupted from the front of my gate.

I exited my house while I thought of who that could be. I only knew one person who could drive like a maniac and that would be –

"Edward?" I said as I spotted his silver Volvo outside the iron gates, illuminated by the lights that were set up in the grass. The driver's side opened and out stepped the gorgeous copper-head who could only be him.

"Hey, Bells." He greeted while I entered the security code to open the gates. Edward went inside his car again and brought it inside so that it was parked directly in front of my front door. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, my bag's inside." I said. "Wait there. I'll go get it."

But his strong hand was already on my shoulder, stopping me from going inside. "Nonsense. I'll do it." He insisted. The skin under his hand began to tingle and I felt a blush covering my face.

"I'll feel like a douchebag if I let a pretty lady carry her own stuff – oh shit, this is really heavy." Edward huffed as he tried to lift my luggage. "What the fuck is in this thing?"

"Shirts, jeans, shoes, underwear and some…equipment Alice and Rosalie told me to bring." I said, still reveling in the fact that he called me pretty.

"Equipment, huh." Edward grunted as he decided it would be easier if he released the handle and just pull it out. "Like?"

"Hair dryer, hair straightener, hair curler, and a bunch of other electronic beauty shit I've never even heard of until yesterday." I shook my head as I packed my guitar and carried it.

"Why the heck would you be needing all those? Your hair's good the way it is," he commented as he opened the Volvo's trunk and lifted the heavy luggage inside in one swift lift.

Again, I blushed. "Nah, they're not for me. Alice said that her luggage weight is already beyond the allowed limit and so is Rosalie's, so they asked me to bring those since mine's practically empty. Or well, _was_empty, anyway."

We both got into the Volvo and zoomed out of my property a few minutes later.

"I should get a driver," I said as I tightened my ponytail. "Jacob isn't cut out for the job anymore, plus I don't feel comfortable leaving my car in the airport for days at a time."

Edward chuckled. "That you should. Not that I don't mind being your chauffer."

I blushed. "So is anyone bringing home this bad boy?" I asked, stroking the leather interior of his shiny Volvo.

"Yeah. I'm passing the keys to Riley once we get to the airport. In fact, he may already be there waiting."

I nodded and asked. "How did Jacob manage to get you to pick me up, by the way?"

"Easy. He called me." Edward replied, looking at me from the corners of his eyes. I raised my eyebrows. "Really? That's all he had to do? Weren't you busy or something?"

Edward smirked. "Nope. I was just about to leave my condo unit when Jacob called."

"Ah." I said. We joked around for the most part of our ride to the airport. Everything was going great until somehow, Lauren was brought up in the conversation.

"So, uh, is she…flying with us?" I squirmed in my seat and suppressed a cringe.

Edward cleared his throat. "She's already in New York." He answered quietly. I simply nodded my head. Good thing Edward could drive fast. The mention of Skank Mallory made the air heavy with tension and I was glad to get out of that awkward environment when we arrived at LAX five minutes later.

"Bella!" Alice shouted at me once she spotted Edward and I. I glared at her. Oh, sure. Announce to the entire airport my arrival why don't you.

"What's up?" I greeted has as she rushed towards me. "Did you bring the stuff?" she asked me enthusiastically.

"Yes, she did." Edward answered for me as he shook his head, no doubt remembering how heavy my luggage was. "What could you possibly bring that it exceeded the baggage weight limit? We're staying in New York for, what, five days?"

Alice stuck her tongue at him, took my hand and towed me towards the others. Rosalie was on her Palm Pilot as usual, Emmett had his cap on at an angle so that it covered the top half of his sleeping face and Jasper was on his PSP.

I sat down and set my guitar case at my feet. No way in hell was it going through as luggage. I didn't trust anyone to handle my guitars so they always went with me as hand carries.

Our flight finally arrived some two hours of doing nothing but bullshit later. The first class portion of the plane was small – seating only twelve people. Alice sat next to Jasper, and Rosalie next to Emmett. As usual, I sat next to Edward.

"You want the aisle seat or the window?" he asked as he shoved his hand carry into the space above the seats.

"Window." I said automatically. "That way, if Emmett or Jasper plans on pranking me, they'll have to go through you first."

Edward laughed. "I don't think they'll have to do that since they can just prank you from behind. Or the front."

My eyes widened and I turned to kneel on my seat to see Alice and Jasper settling behind me and Emmett and Rosalie in front. Dammit.

"Relax." Edward said as he sat down. "I don't think they'll be bothering you, or us. Emmett wants to continue his nap and you know Jasper's…flight issues."

"Oh, yeah." I nodded. Jasper's squats may work for his pre-show nerves, but they did nothing for his fear of flying. Currently, Alice was trying to calm him by rubbing his hand and whispering soothing words.

Aside from us, an elderly couple, a mother and her son and some girls in really slutty outfits were in first class. The two old people were really nice and polite. The family was decent, too, though the kid would not stop talking about Star Wars. Not that I minded that. I was a fan myself. But the fact that he kept discussing how Luke should have killed Darth Vader was getting annoying. The girls however…

"Ehmahgah. Aren't you Edward Cullen?" the blonde one in the barely there miniskirt breathed as she stopped in the aisle beside Edward.

I couldn't hide the smug smile on my face as Edward continued to bang his head to whatever was blasting in his earphones while browsing the airline magazine, totally oblivious to Blondie.

She cleared her throat, but Edward's volume was just too loud. I decided to try something. It was bold and not something I would normally do, eh.

I leaned towards Edward and pulled out his left earphone. "Someone's trying to get your attention." I whispered directly at his ear. He turned and gave me a sexy smirk. "And who would that someone be?" he whispered in a husky tone, also to my ear. I shivered involuntarily.

Blondie sighed loudly. I gave him my own smirk and motioned to the girl in the aisle. "Her."

Edward frowned at me slightly and slowly turned his body to her.

"You're Edward Cullen." She stated before licking her surgically enhanced lips. I laughed at how her tongue spread some of her red lipstick to her cheek. And no, I didn't bother hiding it.

"Uh, yeah..." Edward said in a tone that screamed 'I'm Edward Cullen. What about it.'

"I'm Tanya Gonzales," she purred, putting out a manicured hand. "You know, the Victoria's Secret angel?"

Edward looked at her hand then to her face then to me. I simply shrugged and pulled out my own iPhone.

"Great." He replied after a few seconds before giving her hand a quick shake. I don't even think he touched her skin.

Tanya pouted, probably at the fact that Edward didn't recognize her. I laughed silently at her expression. Of course Edward wouldn't know shit about Victoria's Secret. He thought their lingerie were the trashiest ones on the planet, a fact he so generously shared with us when he caught Emmett drooling over their winter catalogue last year.

She looked like she wanted to say more, but the flight attendant told her to get her ass in her seat because we were about to take off. Unluckily for Edward, she sat directly across us next to her equally as slutty friend.

After the usual safety routine the flight attendants seemed to do at the exact same time, we buckled our seatbelts and zoomed out of Los Angeles.

"So how's life as a rock star?" Tanya asked when the plane was level and we were allowed to move around the cabin again. "I bet it's really, really, _nice."_

I rolled my eyes and propped my feet up. Edward wasn't my boyfriend (dammit) but I was still feeling jealous. I can just imagine how I would feel if I was his girlfriend. Then again, Lauren seemed just as bad as Blondie, so maybe she can sympathize.

"Uh-huh." Edward replied in a bored tone as he read an article in the magazine about Hong Kong Disneyland.

Tanya kept yapping as Edward finished reading every single article the magazine had. Once he had nothing to read, he decided to shower all his attention on me.

"Hey, Bells, do you have the pictures of the European tour?" He asked me while I was busy playing Tap Tap Revenge on my iPhone.

"Uh…yeah. Wait, lemme finish." I said, my eyebrows scrunching up as my fingers tried to hit all the dots at the right time.

Edward chuckled and leaned over, seeing what was on my screen. "That game again. I remember beating you on that Bieber song."

The song ended and I looked up to glare at him. "Please. You cheated. You were shaking the iPhone so bad I couldn't hit anything. In fact, you weren't even shaking it. You were jerking it like it was a boat on stormy seas."

He laughed again and tugged my ponytail. "Whatever you tell yourself to get to sleep at night, Swan."

I rolled my eyes and dug into my pocket for my USB. "The pictures are here by the way."

"My laptop's in my carry on." He informed me, getting up. I looked at him for a while. "So?" I said.

"I have to go relieve my bladder. Just take out my laptop. You know the password." Edward winked before he left.

I was left in a daze. Edward has flirted with me about ten times today. I knew it was stupid and he was just being his naturally charming self, but I couldn't help the happiness that spread through my body.

I began to move out of my seat when I caught Tanya glaring daggers at me. She looked me up and down, probably trying to figure out how plain Jane Bella Swan could capture Edward Cullen's attention. I smiled at her and she scowled. Oh honey, just wait till I become his girlfriend. He'll be giving me much, _much_more attention.

…wait…

Did I just think that?

Shaking my head, I began to reach for Edward's carry on. He did a damn good job of shoving it into the compartment; I couldn't get it out. Rolling the sleeves of my jacket, I got on my tiptoes and tugged the black bag with all my might. The stupid thing was almost out when I felt warm hands on the bare skin of my waist.

I gasped and jumped a little. Edward chuckled as he placed his mouth directly by my ear. "You shouldn't wear such tiny shirts. They ride up every time you raise your arms."

I blushed and my breathing became erratic as his hands tightened around my waist and began to roam to my stomach to emphasize his point.

"What are you guys doing?" Alice's suggestive voice interrupted the moment. My eyes snapped to her and she was staring at us with a teasing glint in her eyes. Jasper was asleep next to her, but she was wide awake.

That was when I realized that I was standing on my tiptoes with both my hands still on the handle of Edward's carry on while Edward stood behind me, his head wedged between mine and my raised arm while both his hands were exploring my skin.

Alice continued to stare at the both of us while I tried to move or at least say something. Luckily, one of Edward's hands left me and gave the final tug that freed his stubborn as hell carry on. "Bella was just trying to get this." Edward said as he held up the black bag.

"Ah." Alice said, one of her eyebrows going up. "Well, it sure looked like it." She winked and giggled before returning to her latest romance novel.

My cheeks were still hot as hell and I seemed to have been frozen to where I was. Though my arms were down and the carry on was out of the compartment, one of Edward's hands was still on my skin, right under my shirt.

"I think you should sit down." He said. I nodded robotically and plopped down on my seat.

Edward took out his laptop and held out his hand for the USB. I placed it on his palm and he plugged it in before turning his laptop on.

"These pictures are golden!" Edward laughed as he scrolled through the numerous photos Alice took during the European tour. "Oho, _this_I have to have a copy of." He pointed to the one of mine and Emmett's food fight at the backstage of our Warsaw concert. My hair was covered in whipped cream and Emmett was dripping in syrup.

I laughed. "Yeah, I remember that. I think we're now permanently banned from all Polish concert stadiums."

We continued to scroll and make fun of pictures until about midnight. Edward yawned and asked me if I still wanted to look at the images; he was ready to go to sleep. I nodded and he placed the laptop on the table in front of me before reclining in his seat a little and snoozing.

I knew I should be tired as well, but my mind was still running amuck from our…less than compromising position earlier. Edward's skin on mine was electrifying to say the least. It was like I was struck by lightning, but I couldn't feel the pain.

In other good news, Edward's moves on me earlier plus his blatant disregard for Tanya's suggestive comments totally shut her up. She was now busy trying to get to sleep comfortably in her prosti-suit.

The lights in the cabin were now dim as almost everyone was asleep. The flight attendant offered me a pillow but I refused, thinking I couldn't get any sleep with or without that thing. I sat cross legged on my seat and continued browsing through the pictures. Alice must have taken at least ten thousand. I can just imagine how much more she could take when we'll be visiting more than one continent.

I stopped on one particular photo. It was one of me and Edward in Stockholm, Sweden. The city was beautiful and I was happy we were going back there as part of the world tour. Aside from the picturesque landscape, I loved the image because of how we looked. Edward had his arms around me with his chin resting on top of my head. I was shivering from the cold back then and he so kindly offered to keep me warm. Alice was nice enough to catch the moment.

I stared at the picture for quite a long time. So long, in fact, that I didn't even realize that I fell asleep. I was roused about three hours later with my neck and back painful from sleeping, literally, on top of the laptop.

"Bella, wake up." Edward's soft voice rang in my ears as he gently shook me. "We're about to land."

I slowly stretched and yawned. Edward chuckled as I looked out the window. It was still dark; three AM.

"How long were you looking at this picture?" He asked as he pulled his laptop on his own table. I froze. I forgot to turn the laptop off and the screen – though was hibernating earlier – was again showing Edward and I in Stockholm.

I blushed. "Um, I dunno. I just fell asleep. I don't really remember much." I said sheepishly.

"I like this picture too." Edward said with a small smile, seeing through my half truth.

He was about to comment on the picture some more, but then the flight attendant asked us to turn off all electronic devices again and buckle our seatbelts because we were about to land.

"What time is it?" Emmett complained as Rosalie woke him up. From the strangled yelp Emmett gave, Rosalie must have elbowed him in the ribs. "Shit, man. It's still night time. Lemme go back to bed."

"Emmett," Rosalie said in a stern voice. She turned in her seat and looked at us. "Sorry if he's being an ass. He didn't really get much sleep last night."

"How do you know?" I said.

Rosalie gave a suggestive smile. "Well, I stayed over at his house, of course."

The plane landed easily and soon we were in JFK Airport in New York. As expected, the paps were there to greet us as we descended the plane. How they know when and where we were at all times, I will seriously never know.

They bombarded us as we tried to make our way to the conveyer belt. Luckily, our security team was able to contain them (somewhat) and we made it to our luggage unscathed. I looked at my watch. Three sixteen in the morning. Did they sleep in the airport or something?

With my guitar slung across my back, I still managed to get my heavy as fuck bag off the moving belt. Rosalie led the way to the vans waiting for us outside the airport.

"So, Edward. Who was the blonde girl who kept accosting you during the flight?" Alice asked straight up once we were on the road.

"There was a girl annoying you?" Jasper said. Emmett and Rosalie were now also turned on Edward.

He sighed. "It was no one. Some chick named Tanya. Tanya...something. What was her last name again, Bella?"

I shrugged and grinned at Emmett. "Ask Emmett. He seems to have a fetish for Victoria's Secret angels."

Emmett's eyes widened. "Dude, you met Tanya Gonzales?"

Rosalie unceremoniously smacked him in the back of the head and elbowed him square on his chest before rolling her eyes.

"So how'd you deal with her, man?" Jasper asked.

"Easy." Alice answered. "He kept his hands on Bella."

I blushed and looked down, feeling everyone's eyes on me.

"Well, well, well." Rosalie said with a teasing grin that made me feel like I was in trouble.

"Water we have here." Emmett continued with a corny joke.

"It was…nothing." I said, looking at Edward to back me up. Instead, he smiled at his phone as he replied to a text from no one other than –

"Lauren's in the hotel already." He announced.

"What hotel?" Jasper said.

"The same one we're staying in, of course." Edward replied matter-of-factly.

"Hm," Rosalie huffed before distracting herself with her ever eternal Palm Pilot. "Alright, people. The _GQ_shoot's on Monday, but we still have a lot of stops to make till then. You're scheduled for about seven DVD signings in various music bars in New York."

"DVD signing," I said, confused. "What DVD?"

"Don't you remember, Bella?" Alice said. "We videotaped your live performances from the last tour in Europe for the _New Moon Midnight Curfew: Live_DVD."

I tried to remember. "Oh, yeah. Heh. Didn't know it was released already." _Midnight Curfew_was the name of our last album and what we named the European tour as well.

"Just last Wednesday," Rosalie said. "Sales have been off the charts! I can just imagine how much bigger the figures are going to be once we release the world tour DVD."

"You want to release another?" I said.

"Yeah. We took a poll in the website asking fans if they wanted it, and what the votes favor is pretty obvious. Though they did ask for some behind the scenes action, so we're going to keep filming while you guys are in the tour bus, in the green room and so on."

We finally arrived at the hotel where more paps swarmed us as we entered. I was tired and my neck was no better but I still complied with the rule we all agreed on before: carry your own shit.

With guitar and sunglasses in place, I pulled my luggage into the fancy lobby. A bell hop automatically approached and lifted the bag onto a cart and the others followed me inside.

Rosalie went straight to the front desk and she returned shortly after with our electronic passkeys.

"We're all staying in the same floor." She said as she handed us each a thin piece of plastic with holes. "Jasper and Alice are obviously sharing a room, and so are Emmett and I." Her blue eyes rested on me. "Bella gets the solo room since Edward…" she coughed. "Anyway, I'm waking you all up at eight AM tomorrow, or well later, so let's go."

We ascended to the twenty second floor and dispersed to our rooms. Edward remained in the elevator because Lauren was staying in the thirtieth. I gritted my teeth and mumbled profanities at the whore as I pulled my bag to room 54B.

The eight AM wakeup call was head achingly maddening to say the least. It was like the hotel purposely set their alarm ring tone into the most annoyingly high pitched noise ever created on the planet.

I was brushing my teeth when Alice and Rosalie suddenly barged into my suite.

"You mind knocking?" I said as my mouth was still filled with minty foam. I finished in the bathroom and joined them in the room's living area.

"Sorry, but we have to fix our hair, _now."_Alice said as she dug through my suitcase in search of her hair paraphernalia. Rosalie was right beside her.

I sighed and went back to the bathroom to shower and change. I was amidst fixing my hair into the usual ponytail it was in yet Alice and Rosalie still weren't finished with their hair dos.

"Does it really take _that_long to do your hair?" I said, placing my watch and baller on. "You guys never seem to take so long in the European tour."

"That's because we always did our hair in the bus, so we were basically multi-tasking." Rosalie answered as she fluffed her wavy blonde hair in front of the mirror.

"And you plan to just barge into my room the entire time we're here." I clarified.

"Yep." They replied at the same time. Freakin' great.

Ten minutes later, we met the others for breakfast. Since it was a buffet, the guys and I filled our plates to the absolute brim. Pancakes, waffles, French toast, fresh fruit, eggs, bacon and toast were spread throughout the table the minute we set our plates down.

"About time." Emmett mumbled as Edward made an appearance with Lauren dangling on his arm. I think I just puked in my mouth.

"Morning." Edward greeted as he sat down on the chair across me. We all said our muted greetings and focused our attention on our food and the decent people eating them.

After some small talk, Edward got up to get him and Lauren some breakfast. The skank was lucky he was back in a flash. If Edward was gone any longer, we would have had some fun with her.

"Here, baby." Edward said as he placed Lauren's plate in front of her. My eyes widened as I looked at what was on the ceramic. There was barely anything there! It was like Edward was feeding a cat.

"Eddie, you know I don't eat carbs," Lauren pouted as she poked the hash brown with her fork like it was the most disgusting thing ever. Edward's expression tightened at the mention of his most dreaded nickname and simply transferred the fried potato to his plate.

"Wow, Bella." She commented as I dug into my food. "You can feed a whole country for a year with that!" she laughed, pointing at my plate. "You are totally going to go so fat if you keep eating like that."

Well, your boyfriend said the exact opposite.

"At least I'm actually eating something." I said boldly, then under my breath. "Anorexic whore."

Breakfast became a strained activity all thanks to her. I was glad when we loaded into the van again – sans the bitch – to go to our first stop: a music store in Midtown.

Our fans were already shouting and screaming our names and songs outside the shop before we came to a full stop. When the doors opened and Edward stepped out, they went even more bananas. Security held them back after we signed some things to let us enter.

The first thing that greeted me was the enlarged version of the DVD cover. We took our seats in front of it and waited for the fans to come streaming in.

Once they did, it was nonstop. I signed everything from the DVD, to a pair of customized Converse sneakers with mine and Edward's face on it together with the band logo.

"Where'd you get this done?" I asked the fan, a short girl with black hair and some piercings.

"I painted it myself." She said proudly. I smiled at her and placed my autograph on the white portion of the shoe. "I like to wear Converse myself." I said. It was true. I was wearing black high tops as we spoke.

"I know." She replied. "That's why I bought some and customized it."

"Why is it only my face and Edward's, though?"

"Because you two look really good together." She said. Not knowing what to say, I simply smiled at her. "In fact," she continued. "Do you mind if I get a picture of both of you? You know, together?"

"Uh, sure." I said. I leaned to my right and tapped Edward on the shoulder. "Hey, Edward. Someone wants to take our picture."

Edward smiled at me as he leaned the left so that we can fit in the screen. "Can you guys move closer together?" the girl asked from behind her camera. We pushed our seats closer.

"Great! Smile!" she said. Before the flash could erupt in the room, Edward suddenly threw his arm around my shoulder and rested his head on top of mine. And of course, I blushed.

"Thanks a billion!" she said before getting her shoes and moving on. Damn, that picture is bound to make in the internet. I hope my blush didn't show.


	3. Chapter 3

We hit two more music stores before Rosalie finally listened to our pleas of hunger and stopped for lunch. I was more than thankful when no one recognized us (sort of) when we entered a not so crowded Yellow Cab.

I liked the restaurant. It was very…New York. Basing on the name itself, the whole theme was based on cabs. The walls were plastered with black and white pictures of them together with facts about their pizzas, which was their specialty.

"Order five pizzas. No wait, make that ten." Jasper said before plopping down on a seat. "Felix looks like he's ready to eat the whole restaurant!"

True enough, Felix, our head of security, seemed to struggle with his inner hungry self as he eyed all the delicious food around him. He stood by the door with his hands behind his back, probably trying his best not to get distracted by the scent of melting cheese.

"I'm feeling like eating some chicken wings." I said before yawning. Emmett expressed his approval and began to list other things from the menu.

"Alright, hold your horses, your majesties." Rosalie huffed as she pawed through her purse. Her hand resurfaced with a black credit card. "Any one of you would like to order? It's an order-the-shit-yourself thing here." She said, pointing to the short queue in front of the front counter.

"Do we have to give our name when we order or something?" I asked. As if to answer my question, someone announced that a Patricia's Meat Lover's pizza was ready. I grinned.

"I'll do it." I said. It was always fun to order at places like this. You can give a hilarious yet fictitious name and they'll announce it to the whole restaurant anyway when your order arrives. I can never forget the time I went to Starbucks and told the barista my name was Lord Voldemort. The dude was cool enough to broadcast that my frappucino was for 'he who must not be named.'

"I'll come with you." Edward volunteered as well. I looked at him.

"What for? I won't be carrying anything." I said, guessing that this was probably yet another one of his 'boys are stronger than girls' situations.

Edward shook his head and leaned into my ear. "I know, but the cashier has been staring at your boobs for far too long."

I blushed and looked at the counter. A boy who looked about sixteen quickly averted his eyes somewhere else when he caught me looking his way.

I sighed. "Alright, you win. But how the heck is you being with me going to help the situation?"

"Easy." He shrugged. "I can glare him down."

"Great. _Now_I feel safe." I rolled my eyes and got up. True to his word, Edward followed. I walked to the counter while zipping my jacket up. It didn't really cover my boobs – hell, it was never exposed in the first place – but it was baggy, so it made them more or less invisible.

I smiled at the sixteen year old and he squirmed. "Hi." I said simply.

"He-hello and welcome to Y-Yellow Cab." He stuttered pathetically. I suppressed by laughter but a snort of some sort still came out. He doesn't look like he had recognized me yet which was good, but I couldn't understand why. I could get when people didn't realize I was Bella Swan, but I was standing right next to Edward. Even from afar, you'd know it was him. And once Edward was discovered, it didn't take long for people to figure out who he's with.

I gave him my ridiculously long order list consisting of about twenty pizzas, bottomless root beer, chicken wings, tortilla soups and…well the whole menu basically. The security team needed their eats too.

The boy nodded and quickly passed our orders to the kitchen. "Y-your name please?" he squeaked.

"Countess Sofia Guenivere Natalia Bonnevie." I said it like I meant it. The name just popped out of my head out of nowhere.

Well not exactly. Sofia I got from Sophie of _Leverage._Guenivere from that Death Cab for Cutie song: We Laugh Indoors. Natalia…well, that shit just came out of nowhere. Bonnevie came from actress Dina Bonnevie. As for the countess…well, I just wanted a title.

"Er…" the boy said, probably trying to memorize what I just said. "Can you…write it down?"

I took a pen from the stand and wrote down my 'name' on a nearby napkin. He thanked me briefly and I walked away, smiling. I had forgotten Edward had gone with me until we both sat down.

"What was the point of you going with me again?" I said. "He didn't look at my… assets at all! Plus he was all nervous and shit."

"Yeah all thanks to me." Edward countered.

"The heck are you talking 'bout?"

"Guess you were too busy coming up with that crazy ass name to notice, but I was glaring at him. I told you my glare had powers. He didn't even try to confirm if you were Bella Swan."

"And how do you know that he wasn't going to do such a thing?" I questioned. "You're no mind reader." Though what he was saying _did_make sense.

"Mind cluing us in on what's going on in paradise?" Emmett interrupted. Edward and I both snapped our necks in his direction. He was smiling at us and looking at us with fascination.

"Nothing." We answered at the same time.

"Where's Alice and Rosalie?" I asked, noticing that they weren't at the table.

"Restroom." Emmett replied, slouching in his seat, but still refusing to stop looking at us like we were mutants in the zoo.

I was thankful when Jasper distracted him with talk about cars. The conversation went on for a while and Rosalie and Alice returned.

"Hey, I just remembered something." Emmett said later. "What was Edward talking about when he said that you were coming up with a crazy ass name?"

"Uh…" I stalled, thinking of a way to explain my craziness to him. Just then, the voice announcing the arrival of orders rang throughout the restaurant.

"Two Hawaiian, four New York Classics, three Pepperoni and Mushroom, and two Four Cheese pizzas for…" there was a pause. "Countess Sofia Guenivere Natalia Bonnevie…?"

Edward and I burst into a fit of laughter. Everyone laughed as well then they faced the counter, waiting for the countess to step up and claim her huge order. And that wasn't even all of it.

I snickered and kicked Edward's foot from under the table. "You wanna get those?"

"Those are ours?" Alice said, craning her neck like everyone else, trying to get a view of her ladyship.

"Uh, yeah." Edward said, chuckling. He turned his eyes to me and smiled. "Countess Sofia is sitting right across me."

Edward's look smoldered. I blushed and looked down.

Emmett laughed. "I'll go get the pizzas. Can't wait to see how everyone would react when they see how her ladyship looks like."

He stood up and confidently walked to the counter. The girl who announced the order looked at him with a startled expression.

"_You're_Sofia?" she gasped.

"Please," Emmett said in mock offense. "That's _Countess_Sofia Natalie Bonnie…whatever."

"It's Countess Sofia Guenivere Natalia Bonnevie." I corrected from my seat. Emmett let out a huff as he piled the boxes on top of each other for easier carrying.

"You're Emmett McCarty," the girl gasped again, louder and more shocked this time. She looked around him to our table where her suspicions were probably confirmed.

"Oh my God, it's Edward Cullen!" she all but shouted.

That did it. The entire restaurant was now buzzing with excitement as the eyed us like we were celebrities. Well, I suppose give or take a few, we _were_kinda like celebrities. Well, not really. Rock stars are cooler than those bastards.

"Is Edward really the only person in this band everyone always notices?" Emmett complained as he placed the pizzas on our table.

"Aww. Jealous?" Edward mocked as he crossed his arms across his chest. "You can have the attention if you want; I'm getting sick of it."

"Whatever, Frustrated Rock Star. Let's just eat."

The rest of the food arrived not too soon after. The girl was too embarrassed to say the name again, so she just glanced at us when the orders arrived. Once the band and the security team were fed, we were back in the van for yet another DVD signing adventure.

The next music store we entered was larger than the others we've been in. Still, that just served as encouragement for more fans to come. We would've been trampled if it weren't for the security team.

The usual round of DVDs and CDs were passed from one person to another as we signed each of them with our signatures. The lunch break energized us somewhat, but my hand was starting to cramp. The callous on the junction between my index finger and thumb was getting bigger.

I didn't pay attention to the things I sign anymore. I just kept placing the same loopy thing again and again. That stopped when I was handed some hand art.

It was a good sketch, no shit, but it wasn't the way it was drawn that made me stop and really look. It was what was drawn.

Every single one of us in New Moon was there, but your attention couldn't help but be drawn to the couple in a passionate hug in the middle. Edward had his arms around me possessively and my head rested on his chest. My face was the epitome of content.

I smiled and placed my autograph at the side to make sure I didn't cover any faces before passing it to Jasper.

The image stayed in my head for the rest of our signing time in the next three music bars. Dammit, why couldn't life be like that, huh?

We went back to the hotel with the intention of just ordering room service for dinner later; we were all too lazy to go out. And by we, I am referring to New Moon per se. Rosalie and Alice wanted to go shopping and I was eager to refuse them when they asked me to join.

"But Bella," Alice whined. "Shopping is fun when done in three's!"

"Plus you need a new wardrobe. All I ever see you in is shirts and skinny jeans." Rosalie added.

"Hah. Sure, I'll go shopping with you…when Emmett elopes with Jasper and when Edward asks me to be his girlfriend." I snorted.

"So you _are_coming then." Rosalie said with conviction.

I stared at her. "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Yeah," she said, flipping her blonde locks over her shoulder. "Emmett and Jasper always had a bromance situation going on, so if he runs off with him, I guess I sorta expect it." Rosalie said with a shrug. "That doesn't mean that I still wouldn't hunt them down and cut their balls off, though. As for Edward, it's just a matter of time."

My jaw was on the floor when she finished talking. "Are you kidding me? He has a girlfriend!"

"Who he's going to dump soon, I'm sure." Alice said with a confident smile mirroring Rosalie's. "Just give the guy some time."

I scoffed and cleared my throat. "Both of you need to be committed to asylums." I said, shaking my head.

"What for this time?"

The three of us turned to see Edward by the open doorway of my hotel room. He looked like he just rolled off of bed – I cringed when I remembered he was sharing that with Lauren – and he had sex hair. Again, I flinched.

"Knock knock." He grinned.

"Oh nothing," Alice sing sang. "Bella was just being mean. I mean, all we were saying was that Emmett and Jasper are going to run away and get married and – "

"Whoa, for real?" Edward started laughing. I shut him up by throwing a pillow at him.

"Seriously, though." He said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

I gave my own laugh and snorted. "Psh. Of course not."

"Oh, okay, good." Edward exhaled as he sat down next to me on the sofa. "It would suck if my bassist and drummer would run off."

_Yeah, because then you'd be stuck with your guitarist, right?_

"How did the conversation ever go to _that_topic, anyway?" Edward asked.

"Long story," Rosalie said. "But basically, we were trying to get Bella to shop with us."

"Yeah. It's more fun in three's." Alice repeated her earlier argument. I rolled my eyes.

"Why don't you take Lauren with you?" Edward the genius suggested. Rosalie looked like he just suggested we run over all the cats in New York. Alice remained quiet for once. My face contorted into a look of pure disgust.

"Er…isn't she busy or something?" Alice asked hopefully.

Edward shook his head. "Nah. She said she was bored, in fact."

"Ah, well…we really aren't that close…"

"You know, sometimes I think you guys don't like Lauren that much." Edward frowned.

Well, no shit, Sherlock. Congratulations on figuring _that_out.

The room went quiet and awkward. Rosalie cleared her throat and stood up; so did Alice. "Well, then. I guess we're shopping alone. Enjoy your evening, Bella. Edward." She nodded curtly and walked out of the room. Alice sighed before giving Edward a look and prancing through the door as well.

I remained silent while Edward sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"You really don't, don't you." He said after a while.

"Don't what?" I muttered dryly, deciding to play dumb.

"Don't like Lauren."

I shrugged and looked straight forward, my hand absentmindedly going for the remote. I really didn't want to have this conversation with him – I might start bashing her if he asked why. So, instead, I turned the TV on.

The Spongebob Squarepants anthem began playing as soon as I hit the on button.

I looked at Edward from the corners of my eyes to see him looking at me with an amused expression.

"What?" I said.

"Spongebob? Really?" Of course, even his tone was amused. I smirked at him and propped my feet on the coffee table.

"I didn't even watch TV last night." I said. "However, that's not saying I don't watch Spongebob. The dude's awesome."

Edward laughed and propped his feet up as well while his arm was on the backrest behind me. "I guess he is. I like Squidward more, though."

I nodded. "Yeah, I see your point. He seems to be the only smart one out of all of them! Such a shame all the bad shit happens to him, though."

"True that," Edward huffed as he settled in more comfortably. I turned to look at him. "Planned on staying?"

His eyes grew wide and he cleared his throat. "Didn't you want me to?"

I blushed. "Oh, no, no it's okay if you stay. It's just….what about…Lauren?" I cleared my throat at that last part.

Edward actually groaned. "Oh, yeah. She's still up in the hotel room." He sighed and reluctantly got up, stretching. "This is shit. I wanted to watch Spongebob."

I grinned. "What a very mature statement, Mr. Cullen."

He rolled his eyes but otherwise smiled. "See you later, Bella."

I waved at him slightly as he made his way to the door. "Bye Squidward. Hey, did you notice that Squidward is Squid and Edward together?"

He snorted. "Like I haven't heard _that_one before." Was the last thing he said before leaving.

The _GQ_shoot started early on Monday. No really. I mean ridiculously ear – freaking– ly. Who the hell gets up at 4:00 in the morning? Usually, I go to sleep at around that time, _not_wake up. The last time I woke up before the sun was the day we left for Europe. But that was okay since I got to sleep at the plane. But now, heck, I wasn't even allowed to sleep in the van!

"If you sleep now, you'll even be more groggier when we get to the studio." Alice scolded me from the front seat, her voice chipper. She must be on drugs to be that happy – hell, to be _alive –_at this hour.

"More groggier," I said, my eyebrows scrunching up. "Redundant."

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "Point is, if you keep awake, you'll be in a better mood once we get there."

"Somehow, I highly doubt that." I said then yawned. I looked over to my also sleepy band mates. Emmett must be on a caffeine high; his eyes were really wide, like, not even natural wide. More like creepy, little twin girls who are about to kill you kind of wide. Jasper distracted himself with his hair; his hands never seemed to leave it. Edward planned on deafening himself by turning the volume up so high I could hear what was playing in his earphones.

We arrived at a tall building not too soon after. Rosalie ushered us inside and we were directed to go up to the thirty seventh floor where everything was already set up.

"Oh, New Moon's here!" someone exclaimed. It must be the lady who was now stepping towards us with her arms spread open. "Hello, darlings! I'm Kate Mitchell, your photographer for today."

Rosalie, as band manager, stepped forward with her hand offered but Kate ignored the hand and hugged her instead.

"You must be Rosalie Hale. Really, really, good to meet you." She said before turning to us. "And you're Jasper, Emmett, Edward and Bella. Welcome to _GQ!"_

I just stared at Kate. Who on this green earth could be so damn happy at this hour in the morning?

Alice cleared her throat. Oh yeah. I forgot about her. Another _morning person._

"I'm Alice." Alice had a big smile plastered on her face as she held out her hand to Kate. "The band makeup artist."

Again, Kate ignored the hand and hugged her. Only difference with Rosalie was that Alice actually hugged back. Like I said. Morning people.

"So what do you guys say? Let's get started!" Kate gave a woot as she began to lead us to the set.

"What do you plan on putting in the spread? The management already cleared it with me when we were still in Los Angeles, but I just want to – "

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Rosalie. I have the perfect idea for the shoot! I figured since the band's called New Moon, we should work with that theme. I was thinking along the lines of nocturnal mythical creatures and I found the perfect one. Werewolves!"

"WHAT?" I said loudly, suddenly waking up. Everyone looked at me.

"Werewolves? Really?" I said, still in shock. What, so we were going to be dressing with fur?

Kate was looking at me like I just insulted her which, in a way, I kinda was.

"We don't really mean to offend you," Jasper said suddenly. "It's just that…we aren't…_werewolf_people, y'know?"

"Yeah." Edward said before scratching his neck. "We're kinda more of the…vampire kind."

"Yeah, man. Werewolves ain't got _nothing_on vampires." Emmett agreed.

Kate bit her bottom lip as she contemplated this and Rosalie glared at us. No doubt we were going to get a lecture on respect later.

When Kate didn't say anything for a pretty long time, Rosalie had an apologetic smile on her face as she turned to her. "I'm sorry if the – "

"You know what, you're right." Kate suddenly said, her somber eyes going bright again. "I've been contemplating that for about a week. Vampires versus Werewolves. My husband was more for the dog idea, so I went with that. But now that you put it _that_way…yes, yes, you're right. Vampires it is!"

Rosalie blinked. "Is it…are you prepared for this change?"

Kate nodded. "Of course! I had two wardrobes prepared in case I changed my mind. This way to hair and makeup!"

I sat on a chair for the next half hour or so getting primped for the shoot. I don't know what the heck they placed on my skin, but whatever it is, it made me look really pale. As in, really, _really,_pale. Heh. As if my pasty skin wasn't lifeless-looking enough.

I waited patiently for the crew to get my vampire suit ready. Apparently, mine had the most pieces since I'm a girl. Dear God, please let it not be lingerie.

While waiting, I made my way to the craft service table and tackled the many chocolate muffins. Damn they were good. I was in the middle of my eighth one when I felt someone squeeze my hips.

I jumped and turned around to meet Edward's muscular chest. He was already in his vampire costume – a modern twist on the old day Dracula – and I'd be lying if I said that he didn't look sexy as hell. If I wanted to do him before, then damn, that need just grew fifteen times more.

"Pigging out again, I see." He commented, eyeing the crumbs on the table and finally on my robe.

I shrugged, trying to distract myself from his gorgeousness. My God, I sound like a hormonal teenage girl. I mean, seriously? _Gorgeousness?_I practically maim girls who use terms like that! But then again, this is Edward Cullen we're talking about. I can make an exception.

Edward continued to stare at me while I chewed on the soft muffin.

"What?" I said, feeling very self conscious. I looked down on my muffin. "You want some?" I offered, holding it out to him though it was half eaten. "I…uh…think I ate all of 'em. Hehe…sorry."

He took the pastry wordlessly but still continued to stare at me. I felt a blush spread through my face and neck when I realized that he wasn't just looking at my face. Oh, no…his eyes were still further down south.

Right on the opening of my robe that showed my cleavage.

Did I mention that he licked his lips while looking at it?

"Hey, Eddie! You done eye-fucking Bella or what! Rosalie's looking for her. She said her outfit's ready."

Both of us snapped out of trances and looked at whoever intruded. It was no other than Emmett of course, also dressed in an outfit similar to Edward's.

I readjusted my robe so that it didn't show anything inappropriate while Edward glared at Emmett.

"I wasn't eye-fucking her."

"Mm – hm. So what _were_you doing then?" Emmett was amused now. He crossed his arms across his chest and lifted an eyebrow.

"I just gave him my muffin." I said with a sigh. "Seriously, Emmett, go bother someone else,"

His eyebrow just went higher. "Ohoooo. Giving him your _muffin_you say." He grinned wider. I couldn't understand what the heck he was talking about. So I gave Edward my muffin. Big shebang. It wasn't even the whole thing, just like, half of it.

Edward groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "Will you get your mind out of the gutter for once?"

"How can I when Bella just told me that you have her _muffin._So do you have any plans on _eating_it?"

What the fuck is so wrong with eating a fucking muffin?

…fucking muffin…

Ah, jeez…

"Of course I didn't give him _that_muffin!" I said, grabbing the now empty box from the craft service table behind me. "See? This is the muffin box. It's empty because I pretty much ate everything and Edward wanted one so I gave him mine."

Emmett looked at Edward's hand which was still holding the half muffin. Then he looked at me with the same crude expression.

"Don't worry, Bells. He'll eat it soon enough." He wagged his eyebrows and laughed loudly before walking away.

That left Edward and I in probably the most awkward situation ever. Another blush creeped to my face and I tried to find a way to escape. Luckily, Rosalie showed up and unceremoniously towed me towards wardrobe.

"You have to go be kidding me." I cursed as Sasha, the wardrobe director, showed me my outfit. Hell, if you even call it that.

"I am not wearing that. It's too revealing!" I complained as I eyed the thing. It was basically a dress (kinda) and fishnet stockings. But the hemline ended around mid thigh and more than enough cleavage would be peeking out. Not to mention my arms would be bare since the thing had spaghetti straps. Did I also mention that they wanted me to walk in a pair of fatal looking spike heels?

"Oh, come on, Bella. It's not _that_provocative." Rosalie rolled her eyes. "You have serious issues with dresses."

"Hell yes I do." I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.

She rolled her eyes. "Just put it on for Pete's sake! We have to be on schedule for this! Kate wanted this shoot to be this early in the morning because she likes the lighting at this hour. If we're going to waste anymore time arguing about your wardrobe, we'll have to come back here tomorrow at four thirty in the morning again." She threatened seriously.

I sighed. "Fine. Give it here."

With some help, I managed to put on the black dress properly. Walking in the fishnet stockings were alright, I guess, just kinda itchy, but the heels…oh the heels.

I gripped Rosalie's shoulder for support as we made our way to the set. I might trip in these things. Seriously, how high were they? Three inches? Four?

We managed to get there unscathed. The boys were already there, messing with each other while waiting. They all stopped whatever they were doing as soon as they saw me.

"Holy shit, is that Bella?" Jasper said in awe, his face plastered with a big smile. "Wow. I'm still pretty used to you in shirts and jeans, so…yeah. Not that you don't look good in dresses. You look hot."

I blushed. "Thanks. Don't expect to see me in dresses any time from now, though."

Emmett bumped shoulders with me as I approached them slowly, still willing to bet that I was going to fall flat on my face in these stupid heels. I almost fell sideways from the force of his push.

"If you keep looking like that, expect Edward to eat your muffin one of these days."

My blush became more profound and I slapped his arm. "You do realize that you just said that out loud and everyone heard that."

Emmett, being Emmett, just shrugged and high fived with Jasper who also agreed. Emmett must have told him the whole muffin story while I was getting dressed. I wonder how much they've been harassing Edward for it.

Speaking of whom, he hasn't said a word since I walked in. I glanced over to peek at him. He had a serious expression on his face, almost as if he was uncomfortable. He shifted his weight and adjusted his clothes again and again until Kate arrived with her camera.

"Mm, I love this time of day. The light's so…perfect. It's like it's dark, but not." Kate said dreamily as she gazed out of the wide windows which showed the indigo New York sky. "Let's get this on!"

For the cover shot, we were arranged like most of our photos: Edward and I in the middle while Jasper and Emmett flanked us at either side. The only difference was that we were forced to really press together.

Once the perfect cover shot was taken, we carried on with the rest of the shoot. Most of them included all four of us, but then Kate had the wonderful idea of having a few shots of only Edward and I.

Shit.

"Bella, I need you to wrap your arms around Edward and stretch your neck back. Good, good, that's good. Now lift your leg so Edward can hold the back of your knee. Now, Edward, wrap your arm around her and lean in to her neck. That's good. Yeah. That's perfect."

Edward opened his mouth so that it appeared that he was about to bite me. Do vampires even bite other vampires? Whatever, I don't care. What I do care about is the fact that I can feel Edward's breaths on my neck and admittedly, it was making me wet. The fact that his hand was on my leg wasn't helping that fact either. The feel of his skin on mine through the fishnet stockings was amazing.

Kate took a few pictures, but she stopped after about five. "I'm not feeling this." She said, looking at the laptop. "Edward, can you bite Bella for real?"

Edward leaned back and I stopped craning my neck. What the heck did she just say?

"Bite Bella?" Edward repeated, his voice shaking somewhat. Through my peripheral vision, I could see Emmett and Jasper, snickering amongst themselves. Rosalie was standing over the monitor that showed the pictures being taken and began to nod in agreement. Alice had a big, big smile on her face as she stood next to her.

"Well, not exactly _bite._But, you know. Make contact with her skin. Kiss her, give her a hicky. Whatever. I just want to see your lips on her neck. In fact, this shot would look better if you guys were lying down. Someone bring the chaise in!"

Everything happened in a blur. Suddenly, a chaise appeared and I was being instructed to lie back on it. My hair was fanned out my make up was retouched, but my mind was still reeling from what Kate told Edward to do.

"Now, Bella, can you spread your legs a little? Edward has to go between them."

The silent laughter from Emmett and Jasper grew louder now. I could've sworn I heard a "Woo! Go Bella!" from Emmett.

I hesitantly parted my knees. Damn, this was awkward. Edward's left knee rested between them while his right foot remained on the floor and the wetness between my legs grew exponentially. My breathing became more erratic as Edward leaned down with his hands on the chaise and softly kissed my neck.

Holy hell.

It was like I was suddenly Tasered. Edward's lips on my skin was electrifying to say the least. I felt like I was going to burst out of my skin at any given moment.

My chest was rising and falling at a rapid rate as Kate gave us words of praise. Edward began moving his lips and gave my neck multiple open mouth kisses. I felt my mouth open slightly and my eyes closed at their own accord, reveling in the pleasure of his mouth on my skin.

Edward kept his weight on his arms so that I couldn't feel any of it, but if I had it my way, I would have wrapped my arms and legs around him and pulled him to me. Of course, I would prefer that we were both naked…

"Okay, that's it! We got the shot!"

I could have sworn I heard a groan from Edward as he slowly pulled away from me. I opened my eyes and saw his beautiful face smiling softly at me. I smiled at him back as he stood up and offered me his hand to help me stand as well. Lord knows I need that help.


	4. Chapter 4

"Partyin' partyin' yeah! Partyin' partyin' yeah! Fun, fun fun, fu – "

"Jacob, for the love of everything sacred, will you stop singing that damn song?"

Jacob looked up from the magazine he was reading and turned his head to look at me. "What?"

"Friday? Seriously?" I looked at him too. Rose called us for another band meeting and Jacob asked if I could drop him off to meet Vanessa somewhere. Apparently, she borrowed his car.

Jacob shrugged. "I haven't even heard of that song since last night. Paul sent me the YouTube link and boom! Last song syndrome."

I snorted and kept driving. "Keep it in your head, then. Otherwise, it'd be stuck in mine as well."

The annoying singing only stopped when brother dearest left the car. Jasper and Edward were already in the convening room when I got there.

Jasper was playing one of our songs while Edward made for a poor substitute for Emmett, banging the table with two pencils. I sat down on one of the chairs.

"If I had known there was gonna be a jamming session today, I would've brought my guitar." I said before turning to Edward. "What are you doing, exactly?"

"What does it look like? Playing the drums." He replied, hitting the table too hard and breaking off the lead of one pencil.

I chuckled lightly. "It's a good thing you don't play drums for real, then. Otherwise we would be a laughing stock."

I ducked just in time to avoid the pencil that was about to collide with my forehead. It landed on the floor behind me and I could hear it rolling under the table.

"Hey, I could've seriously been injured."

"Please. The lead wasn't attached to it anymore."

"Alright. Thank you." Rosalie turned her phone off as she entered the room. "Morning all." She greeted without looking at anyone as she tinkered with her Palm Pilot. "Just got word from Victoria Sullivan from MTV. Your interview's this Tuesday."

"Interview where?" Jasper asked, setting his bass down.

"The newly resurrected _TRL._ It's their premiere episode on Tuesday. And they got rid of Seacrest and got Mike Newton instead."

"Ohoo, you mean the fancy pants with too much gel?" Edward guffawed. "What the hell does he know about rock?"

I nodded. He had a point. As far as I knew, Mike Newton was a horrible actor who starred in some major film flops. I didn't know MTV had recruited him.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Bottom line. We're needed at their studio on Tuesday night. The place is still in LA, anyway, so there's no problem with that. We're needed at six thirty PM. Oh and bring your instruments."

"We're performing live?"

"Uh, yeah." Rosalie began tapping again as Emmett walked in. After filling him in, Rosalie continued to give us the complete schedule for the week. After that interview, MTV wants us again for _MTV Unplugged._Then there was another interview with Houston HOT Hits 95.7 on Friday, then a DVD signing there as well. Then, we were going back to New York to do the interview with _GQ_that accompanied our photo shoot.

"Why didn't we just do the damn interview when we were there?" Emmett huffed. I totally agreed with him, thinking of waking up at the crack of dawn again.

"Apparently, Kate has some very…unorthodox methods." Rosalie explained. "According to her assistant, she needs time to reflect on the pictures she has taken before allowing any words or interviews to go along with them."

"It took her, what, four days to _reflect_on the pictures?" Jasper raised an eyebrow. Rosalie shrugged. "Eh. Don't ask me. They just told me that last night."

"Busy week." I commented.

"And we're just getting warmed up. _Rolling Stones_magazine wants their own spread on you guys, too, and so does _Kerrang!_and _Spin._Plus more interviews, both radio and television, like the one in San Diego and _The Tonight Show_then there's the MTV Music Awards."

"Shit, son." Emmett collapsed against the back rest of his chest. "How are we going to fit all of those in two months?"

Rosalie let out a breath. "We're not. Some we're going to have to do while touring."

After being reminded of our plans for the week again, New Moon dispersed. Jasper went home to Alice who either had the stomach flu or was pregnant, Emmett and Rosalie were going to the movies while Edward had a…uh…_thing_with Lauren. As per usual, I was the only lone wolf.

To hell with the car, I decided, leaving it in the parking lot as I picked a random direction and started moving. I could just go back for it later. At least it would give me something to do.

I have to admit, I felt kinda pathetic walking down the street while constantly looking at my phone to see if Jake needed anything or wanted me to do anything. Wait, no. Scratch that. I felt _completely_pathetic. My God, what is wrong with me?

Sighing, I just kept walking until the heat began to beat against my back. Thankfully, there was a convenience store nearby. I went in and headed straight to the cold beverage section.

I took a Coke and got in line to pay when the radio station played a New Moon song next. I grinned and unconsciously began to hum the lyrics under my breath while my fingers automatically began doing the positions for the guitar chords.

I heard a gasp behind me and a voice saying "Bella Swan?"

I stopped my pseudo singing and air guitar playing immediately, thinking someone I knew just spotted me rocking out to my own song. I turned around to see two high school girls staring at me like I was the lost city of Atlantis. They didn't look familiar at all at least.

"Uh…hi." I said as the approached me. The rest of the store was now also looking at me. Most of them had recognition in their eyes and started murmuring amongst themselves.

"Oh my God, it really _is_Bella Swan!" the blonde one shrieked.

"Bella Swan from New Moon?" the cashier confirmed, craning his neck so that he was looking past the line of customers and to me. He gasped like a fan girl as well.

"Can we take a picture and have your autograph? _Midnight Curfew_was really awesome!" the blonde's black haired companion gushed as she began digging through her bag for a camera, probably.

I smiled. "Thanks." I said simply.

I stepped away from the line and took a few pictures with them.

"What do you want me to sign?" I asked as the black haired one gave me a marker.

"Dammit, I wish I brought my CD and DVD with me." Blondie cursed. Then, her eyes sparked with an idea. "Oh, wait! I know! Sign this!"

My eyes widened as I took in what she was offering me. It was the latest issue of _InTouch_magazine with me and Edward on the cover. _What the fuuuuu…_

I focused my attention away from the picture and to the words below it. _Exclusive! New Moon's Edward Cullen and Bella Swan finally go public! Pictures inside._

The words and images shook in front of my eyes. I realized that the girl was gently shaking the magazine to get my attention. I signed my loopy signature quickly.

"So is it true?" Black Hair asked me, pointing to the magazine. "I mean, I know you guys have been dating for a really long time now, but is it true you've gone public already?

I opened my mouth to say a quick lie but cash register dude managed to save me as it became my turn to pay. "Don't pester her about shit those magazines sell. It's bad enough you made her sign the thing!"

I smiled at him gratefully, paid for my soda and left the store quickly, putting my shades on. Still, the image of that magazine cover festered in my head. Pictures inside? What was that supposed to mean?

I walked a few more blocks until my stomach started growling. It was getting close to lunch time and as usual, despite my heavy breakfast, I was so hungry, I could eat a horse.

My phone vibrated while I looked for a good restaurant to eat in. Heh, must've been Jake calling to see if he and Vanessa could join me for lunch. Not that I minded. It would feel beyond embarrassing to eat by myself. Especially since people actually know me.

"You and Vanessa looking for a lunch date, brother dearest?" I teased first, not giving him a chance to say hi. But instead of hearing Jacob's comeback or 'har har', I heard the one voice I can never and will never get sick of.

"Bella,"

"Edward?" I said, confused. "What's…up?"

"Can you…" he sighed. "Do you have any plans for lunch?"

"Well, I'm walking through downtown LA in search of a good place to eat at the moment, but all my plans are tentative. Why?"

I could almost hear him running a hand through his hair. "I was just…wondering…if…fuck, this is going to sound stupid, but I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me."

If I was shocked that he called me, I was about to faint from this latest revelation. "Oh. Uh, sure. But didn't you have a date?"

"No." Edward growled.

"Okay," I said quickly. Awkward silence followed and I began to think that he hung up on me.

"Ugh, I'm sorry for snapping at you, Bella." He sighed. "It's just that…I'm not in the best mood right now. Where are you anyway? I'll come pick you up."

I gave him my location and he told me that he'd be there in five minutes.

But it only took two for me to see the familiar silver Volvo pulling beside the sidewalk I stood on. I didn't hesitate to climb into the front seat.

Edward did not look happy. His jaw was clenched, his hands were strangling the steering wheel and his eyes were tight. He took off driving the moment I closed the door.

"You okay?" I asked as he defied a couple of stop signs.

"No." he said simply.

I glanced at his speedometer to see that he was going more than eighty miles per hour.

"Whoa, slow down, super star." My eyes widened and I placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to get in trouble with the sheriff at this rate."

My touch seemed to calm him. Edward let out a deep breath and he lowered his speed to something more reasonable.

"I'm sorry." He said, almost inaudibly. "It's just that…that bitch…"

I think a part of me was just reborn. He was calling Lauren a bitch? Welcome to the club, my gorgeous band mate!

"What did she do?" I asked, slowly withdrawing my hand. "I haven't seen you this mad before." Hell, I haven't seen him mad, period.

"She's just seriously annoying me."

Once again, welcome to the club! Let me introduce you to the president of the Lauren is a Whore Association.

"I see." I couldn't hide the smile in my voice.

"Seriously. Is it possible for someone to gab about nothing but bullshit for so long? Someone tell her to shut up!"

I nodded in agreement. He may think that I was on his side just to humor him, but believe me when I say I've been wanting to say those very words for a long, long, looooong time.

"I needed a break from her. It's like her voice is in the pitch range that only dogs could hear." Edward shook his head. "I can still hear it ringing!"

"At least you can finally see, or hear I suppose, what our ears had to suffer from for years." I muttered.

I didn't get the response I was expecting. Instead of agreeing with me, Edward fidgeted in silence for a while before he felt the irrational urge to defend her.

"Lauren's not like that all the time." He said. "Sometimes, she just becomes too much. But she's still a great person."

Oh, I'm sorry. Did you say something? I was too busy screaming bullshit in my head to even try to comprehend what the heck you were talking about.

The irritated look stayed on my face as I simply stared straight ahead and remained silent.

My growling stomach filled the car. "So where do you plan to take me to lunch?" I asked.

The mood lightened considerably. Edward chuckled. "I know a really good place where the paps are least likely to bother us."

He drove for a few more minutes and stopped in front of a restaurant. I didn't get to read the name of the place, but basing from the items on their menu, it was Italian.

Edward stared at me with an amused expression as I told the waiter my order, which consisted of about a quarter of the menu. He just laughed at me when I gave him a questioning look as soon as the water left.

"I don't know how you're not obese right now." He laughed lightly.

I smirked and all but stuck my tongue at him. Was I immature? Hell yes I was.

"Obese? Oh, honey, that's the last thing I'll ever be. I have the world's fastest metabolism." I said before straightening my back. "Who knew you could get a sexy body with eating nothing but rich food, huh?" I joked, knowing that my body was the farthest thing from sexy. Skinny like the dead's more like it.

"Hm, I guess you're right." Edward's green eyes raked over my body with such an intense expression, I felt myself getting very self conscious. "Very sexy indeed." He agreed in a quiet voice.

I didn't know how to respond to that and thankfully, I didn't have to. The waiter arrived with the drinks and appetizers.

Edward and I talked comfortably while the rest of the food arrived. I was about to start on my mushroom ravioli when a voice interrupted my mid bite.

"Bella?"

I looked up. "James?"

"Hey!" James greeted happily he rubbed my shoulder. "Long time, no see."

"I know, right?" I said, smiling at him. James Carter was the lead singer of another rock band – The Harley Quinns. We also used to be schoolmates in high school. He was two years older than I was.

"Are you here on a date?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Nah. I'm actually waiting for my manager to get here. We're going to be discussing some of my solo projects."

I nodded. "So how's life treating you? I haven't seen you since VMAs last year."

He shrugged. "It's been good enough. I see it has been very kind to you, though." His eyes went over me and he let out a silent wolf whistle. "You're looking _fine_."

Edward chose the moment to make his presence known. He cleared his throat and glared straight at James.

"Oh, hey, didn't see you there." James said. "You're Edward Cullen, right?"

"Yeah." Edward's voice was hard and cold. _Back the hell off,_his tone implied.

James got the message. "Well, I can see _you're_on a date. I'll just see you around then." He gave my shoulder one last squeeze and threw a glare at Edward before going back to his own table.

I stared at Edward and he glared back at me. "What's your problem?" I said, taking a bite of the ravioli.

"I don't have a problem." He said defensively. "I just don't like the look of that guy."

"Who? James?" I said, turning in my seat to look for him. I found him seated across a man who I assumed was his manager. "We went to high school together. He's pretty cool."

"Yeah? Well I'm not feeling him. He looks like trouble." Edward huffed before digging into his lunch.

I swallowed. James hadn't exactly been the perfect student when we were teenagers. He used to get into a lot of trouble for selling drugs to the freshmen, stealing, and vandalizing.

But as far as I knew, he changed since he started The Harley Quinns.

"Well, he _used_to be trouble." I admitted after a while. "Back in high school, I mean. But he's alright now."

Edward's eyes burned into mine as he spoke. "How would you know? I'm just trying to look out for you."

Oho, sure you are.

We finished lunch and Edward took me back to the studio for me to get my car. On the way there, he still insisted that he didn't like me hanging around James.

"Just trust me on this one, Bells. I can smell trouble." He said sternly.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, _dad."_

"I'm serious!"

"Yeah, yeah." I sighed. He stopped the Volvo just in front of my car. "I appreciate your concern, but I think I can handle my own relationships, thank you very much." I said as I stepped out and closed the door.

I heard his automatic window whir down. "Please, Bella. For me. Just…don't get to close to the guy, alright?"

I sighed and turned around. After giving him an exasperated look, I simply nodded to avoid promising anything. He waved goodbye and zoomed out of sight.

I went home to an empty house and a very empty schedule. Loser doesn't even begin to describe me. I mean seriously. What kind of a rock star doesn't have a social life?

I spent the better part of my afternoon playing _Guitar Hero_ by myself and when I got completely bored, with online players on the PlayStation Network. Of course I kicked every single one of their asses, and I was on the expert difficulty. Everyone wanted to be band mates with me.

I was in the middle of a band versus band battle with Paramore's Misery Business when my phone began vibrating. I took the opportunity to answer it and put it on speaker while I played a sustained note.

"Yeah?" I said loudly as the people from the other side of the line picked up.

"Bella!" Emmett's voice shouted back. "What's with the noise?"

"It's not noise, it's _Guitar Hero."_I replied before deploying star power.

"So you're talking to me while playing. You never cease to amaze me, Swan."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure I do. Why are you calling again?"

"Just wanted to check if you have any plans tonight. Alice and Jasper wants to take all of us out to dinner."

"Yeah, I'm free. What's the occasion?"

"Dude, our bassist's gonna be a dad."

My eyes widened and I missed a few notes as I took in what he said. "Really? That's great!" I knew one of my theories were bound to be correct.

Emmett chuckled. "I know right? We can totally raise the kid to be a rocker. I just hope he'll be as awesome as his uncle Emmett."

"Hell yes." I agreed.

"Anyways, we'll come pick you up tonight at say…seven-ish? Reservations are already made."

"Sounds good."

"Great. So, uh…anything happen between you and Edward this afternoon?"

My eyebrows scrunched up. "I…guess you can say that. Why?"

"He was being such a bitch earlier. I couldn't really understand half of the shit he was spewing but I figured it had something to do with you since he said something about 'looking out for her.'"

The song ended and my band won 98% accuracy to 85. I stretched my fingers slowly. "And what makes you think he wasn't talking about Lauren."

I heard him snort. "Bitch, please."

"What did he say, anyway?" I placed my guitar controller on the sofa and turned off the system, curious to where this conversation could lead to.

"Like I said, half the things he said were ununderstandable. But – "

"The word 'ununderstandable' isn't a real word." I interrupted.

Emmett sighed. "Whatever, grammar nazi. I was about to say that he kept going on about how he could 'smell trouble' in some dude and that you should stay away from him because it would be what's best for you."

I scratched my head. "He explicitly referred to me?"

"No. Your actual name never really came up in his monologue. But when I was all 'Is there a dude bothering Bella?' he was all 'Yeah! Some punk who used to go to school with her.' So I was all 'Why do you care anyway? I think she can look out for herself.' And then Edward goes all 'Yeah but I...' he pauses and shit. 'Care about her.'"

"Hah." I huffed almost incoherently as I processed what Emmett said. He _cared_about me? Care as in how? Care as in he sees me as a little sister, or care as in he's in love with me. Damn, I hoped it was the latter one, otherwise…well, I wasn't _totally_opposed to incest I suppose.

"Uhuh. I can practically hear you dissecting everything I said, Miss Swan." Emmett interrupted my thinking. "I'm pretty sure it's the 'he likes you back' kind of care, though."

"Thanks Emmett."

"No problemo, Isabello. I'll see you at seven. Oh, and wear something along the lines of semi formal."

"Well, no duh. I'll see you later."

I didn't own many dresses, probably just three or five, but I did own some specifically for occasions like this. I could believe that Alice was pregnant, but what I couldn't believe was that Rosalie didn't get knocked up first.

A limo appeared in front of my house at around seven fifteen that night. I smoothed my hair for the last time in front of the mirror in the foyer. It wasn't the first time I had worn my hair down, but I was more used to wearing it in a ponytail. It was just easier that way.

The dress I wore was very simple. It was blue and was stopped just above my knees. It was sleeveless, but I placed my leather jacket on it. It even made the whole outfit look better.

"Hey Bells!" Jasper greeted as soon as I set one foot into the limo. He looked like the epitome of happiness.

"Hey. Congratulations, by the way. To the both of you." I said, looking at a very glowing Alice as the driver closed the door behind me and I took a seat beside Rosalie.

"Thank you." Alice gushed as she rubbed her flat stomach. It'd be bulging in just a couple of months.

The talk was on babies on the entire ride from my place to Edward's. I was very happy for Alice and Jasper, but I couldn't help but feel a little jealous of them. I guess deep inside me I've always wanted to have a kid, but then again I didn't think of myself as mother material, especially since my own mother wasn't mother material.

Anyway, if I wanted a kid, it looked like I had to adopt since baby making is really a two person dance. At least Emmett and Rosalie could really have their own kid if they wanted to since they had each other.

We stopped in front of Edward's condo unit not too soon after. It only took about three minutes for the limo door to open and for the world's hottest man to enter.

Edward looked positively beautiful in his suit. I felt like I was going to cry if I looked at him any longer. His hair was still a mess (let's face it. It's a hopeless case) but the tousled look just seemed to enhance his appearance. He offered Alice and Jasper a big, loud congratulations as soon as he was seated.

"It's going to be so awesome having a mini rock star running around." Emmett sighed. "Hm, I should teach the kid how to play drums."

"I think the priority should be bass." Jasper said.

"But he should learn guitar too." I interjected.

The sound of my voice must have brought me to Edward's attention because while he wasn't looking at me a few minutes ago, things turned around. His eyes went over my body, from my flats, to my bare legs, to the dress, my hair and my face. I didn't put on much make up and I bit my lip, thinking that I should have put on more.

When he met my eyes, I looked down immediately, a blush covering my cheeks. Luckily, the other four were too busy discussing how to raise baby Whitlock rock band style to notice.

I looked up again only to see that he was still staring at me unabashedly. His green eyes smoldered and he licked his lips as I felt the effects of his intense scrutiny. For some reason, I felt like he liked what he saw. A lot.

We stopped in front of the restaurant after a couple more minutes of driving. Edward was the first to leave since he was the first to enter and he held out his hand for me as I moved to exit the limo as well.

I took his hand with a smile on my face. My grin grew even bigger when he surprised me by wrapping an arm around my waist as we waited for the others to get out of the vehicle.

"I'm going to have to fend off your admirers tonight." He muttered as we walked behind Rosalie and Emmett towards the podium. "You look stunning."

I blushed again. "Thanks. You look pretty handsome yourself."

A shit eating grin appeared on his beautiful face and I had to restrain myself with all my might not to kiss him. It was just getting harder every time.

We were seated at a private room which was complete with all your fancy-schmancy restaurant paraphernalia. Edward held out my chair before he sat down beside me.

After placing our orders, the baby discussion was back on. Though I was a very active participant in the conversation at first, I began to drift off as my thoughts wandered back to my thoughts on motherhood.

Edward noticed my silence and decided to break it by suddenly blurting. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier."

I turned my head and looked at him with a confused look. "Uh, what exactly did you say earlier?"

"In the restaurant. At lunch. What I said about…" he trailed off.

"James." I finished for him, my tone unnaturally neutral.

"Yeah. Him." He ran a hand through his already messy head of hair. "You can definitely take care of yourself and kick ass if you need to and it was wrong of me to tell you what to do. You can handle your own relationships."

I smiled at him. "It's okay. I mean, you did it because you cared, right?"

He smiled back and nodded. "Yeah. I definitely care about you a lot."

I blushed as I recalled my earlier mental sentence dissection. "Thanks. I really appreciate it." I said.

"I feel very…protective of you." He replied in a voice so quiet I didn't almost hear it. He opened his mouth to say more but the stupid waiter decided it was time to serve the entrees.

I didn't – hell, _couldn't_– bring up that conversation with Edward again for the rest of the night, even though I really wanted to see where it would go. But really. How do I even begin? _Hey, Edward. Remember what you said earlier about you feeling very protective of me? Did you mean to say that you want to protect me as a little sister or as the love of your life?_

Again, I just really wish it was the latter part.


	5. Chapter 5

"_Silent Hill."_

"What? That's not a scary game. Heh, if you thought _that_was scary, then you'll shit your pants if you see _Fatal Frame."_

"The game where you have to take pictures of ghosts? Bitch, please. That's a pussy game!"

"It's not when you have limited film, the ghost moves really fast and is practically invisible."

"But-"

"Will you two shut your traps about video games for a minute please? We're here."

Emmett and I stopped talking and looked at Rosalie. Edward chuckled.

"I swear, if I didn't love that woman…" Emmett muttered as he scratched his head and got out of the car. I followed him out and into _TRL's_new studio.

The inside was pretty cool. It was very much like the old studio in New York. The lighting and cameras were already being set.

"Hey! You guys are here!" a man greeted as he approached us. "I'm Marcus, the guy who's managing the show."

"Rosalie Hale. New Moon's manager." Rosalie replied, shaking his outstretched hand.

"Nice to meet you. Now, if you all would just follow me, I'll show you to your dressing rooms then you guys can do a sound check."

I lifted my guitar case higher up my shoulder and followed the group to a hallway. Damn, this thing was heavy.

The band was back out the studio not soon after, setting up amps, microphones, and the usual band shit. I was in the middle of tuning my guitar when someone decided to disturb us.

"New Moon! It's really nice to meet you!" an annoying voice rang through the whole room. We all stopped what we were doing and looked at who was talking.

It was none other than Mike Newton, still in his overly gelled form.

He came closer and held out a hand to Edward. "I'm Mike Newton."

Edward lifted an eyebrow and smirked. "Edward Cullen." He replied, giving his hand a quick shake.

"Of course. And you're Emmett McCarty, Jasper Whitelock – "

"Actually, it's Whitlo –"

"And of course, Bella Swan." He turned to me with a flirtatious grin.

Oh, good God.

I just offered a small smile then went back to tuning my guitar. Emmett also returned to adjusting his drum set and Jasper was tuning his bass, too. Edward tapped the mic a few times.

"I'm really excited about tonight's show." Mike prattled. "It was smart of MTV to make you guys the guests of the premier episode. The ratings are going to be off the charts!"

"That's great." Jasper replied, probably hoping that he would shut up if someone responded. We really needed to practice already.

But it only seemed to have the opposite effect.

"I know, right? This is going to be awesome."

He was about to say more, but thankfully Marcus decided to check on us.

"How's the sound check going? All your instruments working fine?" he asked as he came closer.

"Well, we wouldn't know since we haven't tried playing them yet." Edward said, his eyes flickering to the back of Mike's head.

"Oh, I'm sorry! You guys were supposed to be doing a sound check? Didn't see that." Mike chuckled when he finally realized he was causing the delay.

Well, gee. Here we are, standing with our instruments on stage. Of course we're not doing a sound check! Nooooo. We're just hanging out here like idiots with heavy instruments slung on our bodies waiting for the time to just fly by.

Heh, sometimes I wonder if sarcasm can be considered a language because if it was, then I'd be very fluent in it.

"So what song are you going to play?" Mike said. I heard Emmett sigh and Jasper mutter annoyingly behind me. I feel for them.

"_Midnight Curfew."_Edward replied in a flat voice, taking the mic out of its stand, signaling that we were about to play. He looked at me and nodded. I nodded back, counted quickly to three and began with the opening riffs before Mike could say anything else.

While we played, I noticed Mike staring at me while licking his lips. Oh, for the love of cheese pizza, that is just so…_bleurgh._

I grimaced and looked somewhere else, yet I could feel his eyes on me. Edward moved to where I was standing and noticed my disgusted expression. He turned to where the audience was supposed to be and saw the cause of the bile working its way to my mouth.

In an instant, Protectiveward came out to play. He glared Mike down in the same fashion as he did to James as he belted out the lyrics. It didn't do anything for a while since Mike was too busy looking at me to notice, but when he finally did, ho-_hooo_ did he back off.

Edward remained by my side throughout the whole time we played. We shared the mic during the times I had to do some back-up vocals, but really, it wasn't necessary since I had my own mic and mic stand. Still, I appreciated the fact that he stayed so close to me. I mean, come on, it's Edward Cullen. You'd have to be an idiot to not want him close to you.

The song ended with the final drum beat but Edward still remained beside me. I looked over at Mike and he wasn't looking my way anymore, thank God. In fact, he wasn't even anywhere near the part of the stage where I was standing.

"Thank you." I told Edward while Jasper began complaining to Marcus that his amp was malfunctioning.

"No problem." Edward replied with a grin. "I… didn't like the way he was looking at you. It was very…"

He paused for a moment.

"Creepy?" I filled in after a while.

"Yeah. I don't like it." His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Mike again.

I expected that Mike would stay away from us –or from me, at least – while we waited for the show to start but damn, was I wrong.

While we were waiting in the dressing rooms, he just wouldn't shut up. Seriously, it's like the guy can't take a hint!

"So that's when I stopped taking vocal lessons." He told Edward as he patted his stiff hair. Edward nodded slightly while his face contorted into a grimace. How he can even stand in the same room as Edward after his glaring earlier, I will never know.

All of us sighed in relief when they told Mike to leave us alone since we needed to get into hair and make- up already. Well, they didn't really tell him to go away, but that was the point anyway. Banana Saba.

The prep time just flew by and soon we were waiting for the signal to enter the studio. I could already hear the fans screaming and applauding.

"So let's give it up for Edward, Bella, Jasper and Emmett from New Moon!" Mike's voice rang and we were given the cue to go in. The four of us were all smiles as we came into the camera's and the audience's view. Everyone started shrieking and waving banners with their fan art or some 'I love you, Edward' statement.

"So how are you guys doing tonight?"

"We're pretty good." Edward replied in behalf of the band

"Great! So how are you liking Los Angeles?"

"Well, we live in L.A. so I guess this place is alright." I replied, earning a laugh and a few woots from the audience. Mike's smile hardened a bit and he blushed slightly at his mistake.

"Oh, right, right, of course." Mike laughed. "And you guys just got off your European tour?"

"Yeah, a couple of weeks ago."

"How did it go?"

"It was really awesome and a lot of fun. Europe's a really beautiful place to go to."

"That's good, that's good. I understand it was your first time to go to Europe?"

"Yeah, it was."

"And did you guys feel nervous?"

"Yeah, a little. None of us had been to Europe before the tour so we felt a little…uneasy with the language barriers and all that. Plus, Europe's a lot stricter than the US."

"So I've heard. Well you've accumulated a lot of fans in the short time you've been in the circuit. A lot of them are here in the studio now, outside and at home watching. So which country has the best fans?"

"That's really hard to say since all of them support us through and through. Though the ones here in America are pretty damn awesome." This earned cheers from the audience.

"Oh okay. That's great. We're just going to go for a commercial break but when we come back, we get more New Moon and more about their upcoming world tour. Stay tuned."

"Aaaaaaand we're good."

"God, I need some water." Mike huffed as he walked away while fanning his face. "It is so damn hot!"

"Well, that went well." I commented as I began twirling my mic around in my hands.

Edward nodded. "Could've been worse. He could have hit on you again."

"Yeah, that would've been…" I shuddered.

The commercial ended sooner than I thought and we were back on air again.

"Hey, we're back with our very special guest: rock band New Moon who is hot off the charts and hot off their European tour. How's it going, guys?"

"Great."

"Good."

"So, in the light of your recently finished tour and in the new one that's about to start after a month or so, we're going to be playing a little game. Don't worry, it's nothing hard." Mike said when the four of us began looking at each other.

"The game's called 'tour extremes.' Basically, we give the four of you placards with your names on them and when I say the description, you just have to answer by showing the person who fits the description's name."

"And you're going to be asking about the tour?" I clarified as the studio managers handed each of us four printed cards with the words Edward, Bella, Jasper and Emmett written on each one.

"Yep. So, let's get started." Mike brought out a set of cards himself. "The heaviest sleeper."

I scrambled as fast as I could for the Emmett card which was a little hard considering the microphone I was holding. Still, I managed to find it and show it to the cameras and to the audience.

I looked around to see Edward and Jasper holding the Emmett card as well. As for Emmett, he was still scrambling with his set of cards.

"Well, I guess it's pretty clear who the heavy sleeper is." Mike laughed as he looked at our answers. "How does Emmett sleep?"

"Like a rock." I said. "I accidentally dropped a book on his head when were in Copenhagen once while he was asleep. Didn't feel a thing."

The audience and Mike laughed with Edward and Jasper as they remembered the time they heard my _The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest_novel hit Emmett's skull and how we all wondered why he hadn't woken up to get mad at me or some shit yet.

"Really? That happened?" Emmett stared at me. I laughed at his expression.

"Alright then." Mike shuffled his cards. "The noisiest one on tour."

I thought of myself after a few seconds of thinking and was about to show that. But before I could, my band mates must have been thinking the same as me since they all had their Bella cards out.

"Bella's the noisiest?" Mike remarked as he looked at the cards.

"Hell, yeah." Emmett said immediately, earning another round of giggles. "The noises mostly came from the things she bumped into though."

I blushed, even though I knew everyone knew I was a klutz. I heard there were some YouTube videos and a ton of gifs of me tripping in different occasions.

"Ah, so you trip a lot." Mike commented.

"Yeah." I admitted.

"So does that mean multiple bruises and such?" he jested.

"Uh, well not really." I said. "I only get bruises or any kind of mark really when I hit something, not when I trip."

"So someone catches you when you fall." Mike waggled his eyebrows and the crowd made swooning noises.

"Uh…" I stalled with a slight smile, looking around.

"Yeah. Me."

Everyone looked at Edward and the swooning intensified together with my blush. He just smiled and laughed.

My mind went back to our last concert in Munich. That rug burn was painful was hell. But, still. I guess Edward had caught me multiple times. If it weren't for his quick reaction time and strong arms, I would probably have some sort of a gash across my forehead.

Jasper and Emmett laughed loudly and cheered with the audience. Mike joined in a little and went on with the next description.

"Okay, this one's really interesting. The person in the band I won't mind spending the rest of my life with the most."

Edward.

The answer was so obvious.

I bit my lower lip as I looked for the card where his name was written. I was basically telling the world I loved him, but at least this was indirect.

"Aw, ain't that sweet." Mike cooed as he looked at our placards. I didn't miss the slight bitterness in his tone then I remembered how he so openly stared and licked his lips at me a few hours ago.

Curious, I looked at what the others held out. Emmett and Jasper had their own names on their cards.

Okay, how the heck is conceitedness and narcissism sweet?

I looked at Edward's then saw what Mike was referring to. Edward held the Bella card proudly as he smiled at me. His eyes dipped down and saw that I was holding the Edward card, which just made him smile wider.

The audience erupted into another round of swooning, only this time cat calls were thrown in. I blushed terribly but my smile wouldn't go down. In fact, it got bigger.

While the crowd still wanted to milk what was of the situation, Mike wasn't having any of it. He quickly moved on to the next description.

"Messiest person on tour."

"Oh come on…" Emmett groaned before anyone could even get the Emmett card out.

The game went on until we exhausted all the things written on Mike's cards. Another commercial break was called and we were ushered outside to sign some autographs for the fans outside. Apparently, some of them camped out there a few days prior to today.

We went back inside when it was time to air again.

"You kids did awesome today." Rosalie said as we left the property after the show. "Despite Mike Newton being a really annoying prick."

"I know! He wouldn't keep his mouth shut!" I huffed.

"Well, at least you survived him." She pointed out.

"I wonder how many people watched." Emmett thought aloud.

"From what I heard, millions. Maybe you'll even find some clips of it on YouTube tonight."

"Whoa. Tonight? That's a little too soon and a little extreme, don't you think?" I said.

Rosalie snorted. "Not in fandom, it isn't. You probably haven't been a fan girl of anything so you wouldn't know."

"Hey, I'm a fan girl!" I protested.

"Oh, really now. Of?" Rosalie raised an eyebrow at me.

"Lots of things." I replied, trying to think of what those 'lots of things' are exactly. "Like…The Beatles, My Chemical Romance, Harry Potter. Uh…Tokio Hotel…"

"Tokio Hotel? As in the German band?" Jasper interrupted, turning his head to me.

"Uh, yeah. How do you think I know the little German I…uh…know?"

"Isn't that the one where their lead singer has that weird mane thing for hair?"

"You mean Bill Kaulitz. Yeah, that's him. And his hair is awesome. Plus, he's really pretty too. Him and his twin brother Tom."

"How the hell is he _pretty?"_ Edward raised an eyebrow at me.

"Well, for one thing, have you seen his face? Then there's his body. He isn't that muscular, but hell, I like it."

"I have a pretty muscular body." Edward interrupted.

"Plus his height. He's like, what, six foot something? I find it amusing the way he has to tilt his mic stand to a slanting position because his mouth can't reach the mic." I continued.

"I'm six foot two."

" Not to mention his humor and voice."

"Hey, I'm funny. And I happen to be the lead vocalist in this band."

"Ooh, looks like Bella has a crush on Bill." Emmett laughed.

I just shrugged my shoulders. "Call it what you will."

"Edward, why did you feel the need to point all those things out?" Jasper asked in a very amused and interested tone.

Edward looked around in search of answers. Hm, come to think of it, why _did_ he have to say those things? Was it because he assumed I had a crush on Bill? If so, does this mean that he has a crush on me?

"You know, now that you mention it, he _is_very pretty." Rosalie commented, interrupting my over thinking and Edward's search for answers.

"Well he was androgynous. He looked like a girl!" Edward argued. Well, we weren't having a debate or anything, so I didn't know why his tone was like that.

"Precisely why I said pretty!" I said. He opened his mouth to say more but I stopped him by mussing his hair and laughing. "Don't say that you're pretty, too, Edward, because we all know that isn't true."

Well, it wasn't.

Beautiful seems more a proper description for Edward.


	6. Chapter 6

Heh. Rosalie wasn't kidding about them die-hard fans.

On any day, I wouldn't Google my name or even YouTube search it (I was getting pretty sick of myself already), but for the heck of it, I went to look.

As far as I could see, YouTube had generated seven pages of the _TRL_episode. But when I clicked on the seventh page, even more pages generated. Mein Gott.

Out of curiosity, I clicked a random video and waited for the video to buff. I wouldn't normally do something like that since I already hear my shit in the radio, see my face in magazines and sometimes even the news. But heck. Not like I had anything else better to do.

While I waited for my Internet connection to miraculously speed up, I heard my phone vibrating against the table surface I placed it on. I fumbled around in my room in the dark – laptop light aside – while I tried to remember which table I placed it on. I finally found it on top of my dresser.

"Hyes." I answered with a huff, not even bothering to look at who was calling.

"Hey, Bella. I didn't wake you up, did I?" Edward's voice rang from the other line. My face broke out into a smile.

"Are you kidding, Cullen? It's only about eleven PM. I haven't even gone to bed yet." I said as I climbed back into bed. "What's up?"

I could practically hear him shrug. "Nothing. I was just talking to Emmett a couple of minutes ago then he told me to hang up and bother you instead." He laughed. "Guess he got sick of me."

"Ah, you have come to the right place for bothering." I teased, nodding though he couldn't see. "I have a long patience span."

And I could _never_get sick of you, even if you do nothing but talk about nachos for the next five hours. I enjoy nachos anyway.

"Yeah, guess that's what Emmett figured." His tone seemed a little…off.

"Edward, what's wrong?" my voice automatically turned concerned.

Edward let out a gust of wind from the other line. "Lauren and I broke up."

Speech. Less.

I was fucking speechless.

Edward…and Lauren…no longer together?

…

THANK YOU! MARAMING SALAMAT! DANKE SCHON!

The smile on my face grew exponentially wider. So wide, in fact, I felt like my face was going to break.

Edward cleared his throat and I was snapped out of my very high mood.

"Bella? You still there?"

"Um, yeah, I'm sorry. It's just…you guys broke up?"

"Are you surprised?" Edward replied in a voice that sounded a bit sarcastic.

"Well, honestly, yeah. A little." It was a very nice surprise, though. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Edward sighed. "Well, I wouldn't be calling you right now if I didn't want to talk about it, now would I?"

"Right. Sorry." I replied quickly. I heard another sigh. "No, I'm sorry, Bells. I shouldn't have snapped at you. You've already offered to put up with my bullshit and I'm being a bitch."

"I think bitch is too strong a word for you. You're not _that_bad." I teased before turning serious again. "So what happened? Who broke up with who?"

"I…well, she…you know what. I don't even know. One minute, she's yelling at me about shit then in another I'm yelling at her back. Before you know it, we're swearing that we hate each other and that it's over."

"Oh. So…are you okay?" I knew _I_was happy about the situation, but Edward might not be.

"Honestly…" There was a pause. "I'm relieved."

I blinked a few times, trying to process what he said. "Relieved? Really? Wow. So maybe you broke up with her then. I mean, did you want it over?"

"Um…yeah. Actually, I've wanted to get out of the relationship for quite a while now. It was only a few hours ago that I finally realized it. Her yelling at me was the perfect excuse."

I crossed my legs Indian style and leaned against the headboard. "Do you remember what you guys were fighting about?"

"Yeah." Edward's tone suddenly turned sheepish and I could practically hear him scratching his head. "Yo– the _TRL_ premiere."

"Oh." I scratched my own head. "I'm not following."

"It's just…I don't know, really." He sounded like he was lying. With furrowed eyebrows, I immediately went back to my laptop and played the already loaded YouTube video. It was only then that I realized the title was 'Best Edwella moments – TRL.' I hit the play button and saw what the rest of the world saw.

Dayum. Watching Edward flirt with me in the third person view was very interesting, to say the least. Hell, close wasn't even the appropriate description for how we were tonight. Edward apparently stayed within a very short distance of me throughout the entire show and we kept smiling at each other like we were a couple.

If I were Lauren and I saw my boyfriend flirting shamelessly with some girl he works with on national – hell, _international –_television, I'd probably yell at him too.

…

Hoh, shit, is _that_why they broke up?

"You still there?"

"Uh…yeah, yeah, sorry. I was just watching a video of the premiere." I said, then quickly apologized. "I'm really sorry you split up, Edward." And I was. I may have hated Lauren and inside me, I was really happy about their split, but Edward's condition was my concern here, too.

"Don't be." I could hear the smile in his voice. "I told you. I _wanted_ to break it off with her. You did me a huge favor."

"Right." I replied. "Well, you're welcome then."

I heard a chuckle from the other line.

Edward and I continued chatting for a couple of minutes, which turned into a couple of hours. When I looked at my laptop's clock, I saw that it was already two thirty in the morning. For psychological reasons – and because I really was exhausted – that made me yawn.

"Tired already, Swan?" Edward teased.

"Psh. Naw." I said, rubbing my eyes. "Okay, maybe a little."

"Wow, I'm a little surprised. I thought you were a vampire; not needing any sleep and shit."

"Hey, Dracula needed his beauty rest in his awesome coffin, too." I countered.

"Riiiight. I should let you sleep, then, Great Countess Bella."

"Yeah, yeah." I chuckled. "Night, Edward."

"G'night."

I crawled underneath the covers after performing my usual before bed ritual. I felt tired and I figured I would be fast asleep the second my head hit the pillow.

But instead of falling asleep, I found myself thinking of the interesting little conversation between Edward and I. He made it pretty obvious that I was the reason why he and Lauren are no longer an item since the little wench was probably jealous of all the attention I got.

I wasn't bothered by that, far from it actually, but I was troubled by the fact that Edward didn't see anything in that. We acted like a couple in front of the whole world in such a casual manner you'd think we acted that way all the time. Doesn't that give him some sort of a hint that we were good together?

Sighing, I rolled onto my back so that I was facing the ceiling – the sleeping position I hated the most but I always seemed to end up in when I was frustrated. After staring at the ceiling fan for what seemed like hours, I finally managed to sink into unconsciousness.

The next couple of weeks just seemed to fly by. Before I knew it, I was packing my bags for the highly anticipated Lunar Eclipses world tour. The first concert was in Seattle, Washington. We figured it would be easier to get the US over with first before moving on to South America, Europe, then Asia.

"And we gon' make you loooose yo' miiiiind. Ev'rehbodeh just have a good tiiiime." I sang under my breath as I settled in the leather seat of the tour bus bench.

"Hm. LSS?" Edward asked.

"You have no idea. I hear Party Rock Anthem once and by accident and now it won't leave my head." I shook my head. "It's all I can sing! If you even consider this singing." I laughed, knowing my vocal abilities were less than decent. There's a reason why I never get a score higher than 92% on vocals in Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

Edward chuckled. "Your voice sounds beautiful, kinda like wind chimes."

I blushed and opened my mouth to reply but that was when Jasper decided to interrupt.

"Can any of you get a signal in this thing? I can't call Alice." His voice came from the kitchenette where he was supposedly stuffing the refrigerator and freezer with beers and ice cream. He came over and showed us his Blackberry that had a failed connection notice flashing.

With Alice being pregnant and all, she decided that it would be smarter if she just stayed with her parents throughout the tour. Jasper almost didn't agree and we worried about having to cancel the tour altogether, but thankfully, after convincing him that his wife would be fine and we'd be home in time for the birth, the tour was back on with a complete New Moon.

However, Jasper had been worried sick about Alice from the time we began our long journey towards Seattle. You'd probably had to use a crowbar to get him to part with his cellphone and laptop.

"Nope. No signal either." I said as I looked at my iPhone. I turned and reached to ruffle his hair. "Relax, Jazz. The world isn't going to end just because you aren't able to call her."

Rosalie walked over to us from the coffin room. "I forgot to ask you guys. Do you have any guests or plan on visiting anyone while on tour? Let me know now so I can rearrange the schedule while I still can."

"I figured I can visit my dad in Forks while we're in Seattle." I said. Been a while since I've seen my old man.

"Alice is staying with her parents in Florida and since we're not having a concert there…" Jasper shrugged.

Rosalie nodded. "Alright. What about you, Edward? Is Lauren going to be…" she didn't bother finishing the sentence, but instead made vague hand gestures.

Edward cleared his throat. "No. Lauren and I broke up."

"Holy shit, did I hear that right?" Emmett suddenly spoke up from behind Rosalie. It was a good thing we weren't on a plane where everyone could hear him.

Rosalie stared at Edward wide eyed. "You…you did? When did this happen?"

"Eh. Few weeks ago." He shrugged indifferently.

"And you never told us this shit? Dude, that has got to be breaking some kind of a code." Jasper piped from behind us. He shook his head. "I should have known Alice was right when she said you guys weren't together anymore."

I felt a pair of eyes piercing through me and I hesitantly looked to see who it was. Rosalie's eyes were thunderstruck as they bore into mine. "You knew about this, Bella?"

"I…" I started, but then just nodded.

"Well, then," Rose cleared her throat. "So… no visits throughout the tour?"

Edward ran a hand through his hair as he thought. "I can't think of any."

"Alright." Rose replied as she moved to sit next to Emmett across us. They were murmuring with each other and I can imagine what they were talking about.

"You didn't tell them?" I asked Edward quietly. He turned to look at me for a long time before shaking his head.

"No."

"Why not?"

He sighed and scratched his head. "As you can remember, I tried talking to Emmett. But he wouldn't have it, so I went to you. Not my fault the prick didn't want to listen."

"But you didn't try talking to him anymore after you spoke to me about it." I stated, not asked.

"No. I didn't need to." Edward was silent for a moment. "You're just…you're…enough, Bella. Talking to you…it…I feel like I don't have to talk to anyone else. You're all I need."

And cue the embarrassing blush.

Good thing that was when Rose told the bus driver we can start travelling.

Meh. I was starting to get confused. Edward kept saying shit like that and even told me (indirectly) that I was the reason why he and Lauren broke up. Yet he won't date me?

Hah. That sounded funny.

Man, do I think like a drunk tonight.

The Lauren topic never came up again throughout our first day of the road trip to Seattle. Instead, we talked about what places we were most excited to see.

"I'm interested to see how Malaysia and Singapore are." Jasper mused as he took a sip of his drink. "They held the old World Stage there, right?"

"Heh. Really hot, I'm telling you now." I warned. "I've been to Singapore for a week and let me tell you, I must have lost more than a half of my body's fluids through sweat. It was really beautiful there, though, and not to mention strict. They can fine you, like, a thousand Singaporean dollars for dropping a single candy wrapper.

"Good news, though, is you'd probably get a decent tan." I gestured towards his pale complexion. Jasper chuckled as his phone vibrated and he launched at it immediately. It was probably from Alice.

"I wanna go to Tel Aviv." Emmett declared as he stretched in his seat. He had been playing _World of Warcraft_nonstop ever since he finally stabilized the Internet.

"Israel?" Edward asked as he looked up from his own laptop where he was playing _Plants vs. Zombies._

Sigh. Men and their games. That having said, I could pwn their asses in both those games with my eyes closed.

"Hell yeah. Granny's living there now so I'll pay her a visit." Emmett was pretty close to his grandmother and he actually cried when she moved to Israel about a year ago. Of course he wouldn't pass off an opportunity to see her again.

"I'd probably want to see…Paris again." Edward admitted. He turned to Rosalie who was busy flipping through channels. "We _are_going to France, right?"

Rose sighed. "Do you pay attention to what I've been constantly telling you the past week, Cullen?" She rolled her eyes with Edward just shrugged.

"Fine. For the benefit of everyone, let me repeat the schedule. First stop is in Seattle, then we go Houston, Omaha, Chicago, and New York.

"That's the last place we'll hit in North America before we fly to Sao Paulo, Santiago, Lima and Caracas. After that, we're back to Europe, specifically in Paris, Leipzig, Stockholm and Zurich. By the way, you all have TV interviews the whole time we're in those places.

"Then, we're off to Asia. First concert there's in Tel Aviv, Tokyo, then Manila, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Our final stop's in Melbourne. Any questions?"

Wow. I think I just grew tired just from hearing all the places we'd have to go to all over again.

"Yeah, just one." Jasper said as he fiddled yet again with his phone. "Am I going to be home in time for my son's birth? Because I don't – "

"Jasper Whitlock, for the last time, yes!" Emmett interrupted from the bench across the one where Edward was seated. "You left Alice when she was a couple of months along. We'll be done with the tour after, like, a couple of months! Four, five, maybe six months tops. Don't get your damn panties in a bunch."

"Well, forgive _me_for worrying about my pregnant wife!"

"You – "

"Will the both of you please stop it?" Rosalie glared at the both of them from her seat on the sofa. "Seriously. We've barely started on the tour and already you're driving me insane."

She stood up and stomped towards the coffin room where Emmett followed her while muttering apologies. Jasper sighed and went back to his phone.

Edward and I simply looked at each other.

"This tour is going to be awesome!" Edward cheered with a semi sarcastic grin.

We drove for a few hours before we stopped for some gas. It was already night time – probably eight or nine – and I had no idea where we were.

"I'm in the mood for Cheetos." Edward said as he pulled on a cap and a jacket. "You wanna come with me to the store?" he asked me, looking at the bright yellow rectangles coming from the convenience store outside the bus.

"Sure, why not. I'm in the mood for junk food, too." I smiled at him as I pulled my hood on.

Both of us walked closely next to each other as we entered the shop. There weren't a lot of people inside and we looked just as haggard as anyone else so no one really gave a shit that we were there since no one recognized us.

I felt a sense of déjà vu as a New Moon song blasted through the speakers overhead. I smiled and made my way to the junk food aisle to get the necessary supplies.

"Is it weird that I feel like rocking out to my own song?" Edward chuckled as he grabbed a bag of Cheetos from the top shelf.

I laughed with him. "Not really. I have the same feeling." I admitted, my hand already doing the different chord positionings.

"Hm. I sound really good." Edward mused as we made our way the cashier.

I playfully slapped his arm. "How very modest of you." Edward simply chuckled lightly.

"Heh. Would you look at these." He commented when we passed by the magazine stand. "Wonder if _we're_on the cover of anything."

"Only one way to find out." I said, already on my knees, rifling through the various glossy rags.

"The _Rolling Stones_issue's here." I said, lifting the cover where the four of us were posed over a wreckage of band equipment. "Plus _Spin."_

"Well, that's all very fine and dandy, but do any of the gossip rags have anything to say about us?"

I swallowed as I remembered the magazine I signed back in Los Angeles. Does Edward know about that?

Eh. That was an old issue. Probably not even here anymore.

I went back to my magazine hunting. I scoffed at some of the covers and even laughed internally at a few, but when I reached a certain _OK! Magazine,_I gasped.

There, printed in a multitude of colors, was Edward and I during our last New York adventure, specifically in one of the DVD singings. His arm was around my waist and mine was around his as we both smirked at the camera. Written in bright, bold colors were the words _Edward and Bella: YES! THEY'RE IN LOVE!_

I quickly scanned the bulleted list below the title. The magazine mentioned our lunch date, the _TRL_premiere, and even our little episode on the plane.

"Find anything interesting?" Edward tried to peer at what I was looking at but I quickly shoved the thing to the very back of the rack.

"Nope." I said. "You know it's kinda vain that we're looking for magazines with us on the cover, right?"

Edward laughed and mussed my hair through my hood. "Like you don't enjoy looking at my handsome face, even when it's in the same photo as the other three hooligans."

I smirked at him. "I see your face every day of life. I think that's enough torture."

He rolled his eyes at me and grabbed my hand, tugging it. "Come on, princess. Let's go pay."

I snorted, but allowed him to tow me towards the counter. All the while I was reveling at how his skin felt against mine. It was like there was a current running between us.

I hadn't been lying when I said seeing his face was a torture for me. He was just too beautiful; it was painful to look at him.

His hand remained in mine while he paid for our purchases and for the first time, I felt a sudden jolt of hope that someday and somehow, we were going to be together. Soon.


	7. Chapter 7

Waking up with your back against the floor sucks.

I learned that through personal experience.

"Urgh…" I grumbled as I tried to sit up on the moving floor of the tour bus. Sometime in the middle of night, I must have rolled over too much and landed on the painful carpet. Heh, you think for all the times I've slept in the tour bus in the last tour, I would have learned to sleep in the coffins by now.

I stood up carefully and used the mattress for support. Still, my back was still pretty painful, particularly by my shoulder blades. The others must already be awake since I could hear voices coming from the other room.

Rubbing my back, I began to move towards the sounds only to be greeted with a camera at my face.

"What the hell," I grumbled, trying to shove the damn lens away. "What the heck is going on?"

"We're recording the entire tour, remember?" Rosalie said as she twisted her hair into a loose bun. "This is Peter. He's our camera man slash interviewer."

Peter gave me a small wave but kept filming. I tentatively smiled back.

"Don't worry about your cursing either." Rosalie continued. "We're going to crop those out."

"Heh. Then you're going to have to cut out a lot of parts then." I smirked as I made myself coffee and sat down beside Edward.

"When did Peter get here, anyway?" I asked as I took a gulp of liquid caffeine. Heh. Dammit. The shit didn't work. I am still not awake.

"We stopped about an hour ago to pick him up."

"Ah." I replied before rubbing my eyes.

"How long before we get to the hotel?" Edward asked beside me. His hair was the usual wreck that it was in the morning and he had a tight fitting black shirt on. My eyes went back to the camera which was still filming. That meant that people – hell, _girls_– who'd be buying the DVD would get to see his sexiness in the morning. I almost wanted to rip the dude's camera off his hands.

"Well, according to the driver, we're about five hours to Seattle." Jasper said as he emerged from the very front part of the bus. As usual, he was carrying his never dying Blackberry.

I yawned and nodded. "Right. And what were you doing there?"

Jasper just shrugged. "That part of the bus gets the best reception."

"So, everything alright with Alice?"

"She's doing fine. Her parents think it's definitely going to be a boy." He chuckled. "Jasper Junior's already wearing her out."

"You're seriously gonna name the kid Jasper Junior?" Emmett asked as he exited the bathroom.

"Eh. I dunno. Maybe? I've always liked the idea of naming a kid after me."

The debate on whether or not baby Whitlock should be a junior or not continued until Rosalie ordered Edward and I to get decent so a couple of interviews with Peter could happen. I somehow ended up changing last, but that didn't matter since I could change just as quickly as the boys, anyway.

Or at least I _usually_ change as quickly as the boys. At the moment, I was definitely taking my sweet time changing my shirt because couldn't raise my arms without cringing from back pain. Damn, that must have been some fall.

"Okay. One…two…three!" I chanted to myself before quickly lifting my arms in another attempt to get my shirt off.

The fabric finally left my back, but instead of coming off my body completely, it tangled in my arms and covered my face.

To say that I felt like an idiot standing there in nothing but my jeans and bra while my shirt kept my raised arms…well…raised… was a major understatement.

"Ish! I need a little help from my friends!" I groaned. I didn't really mean that I needed help (well, okay, maybe I did need some) but I had a habit of referencing songs in tight situations. At the moment, the Beatles' _A Little Help from My Friends_seemed appropriate to me.

"Bella? You okay in there?" Edward's voice was quick to reply. I could practically hear him coming closer.

Aw, shit! He can_not_see me like this! The only time Edward's allowed to see me topless is when number one, he's the one who removed my top in the first place and number two, when he plans on getting topless with me too.

Gr, this is ridiculous. I tried lowering my arms in an attempt to cover myself but alas, I was just really stuck.

"Are you o-_whoa."_

Meh. Too late. Edward's here.

I felt a powerful blush spread throughout my face. Hell, it was so widespread, I bet Edward could see it despite the shirt.

"Um…a little help here please?" I pleaded in a small squeak. I was practically too embarrassed to say anything, but the situation would've been a hell of a lot worse if I stayed silent and just stood there.

"What…what were you doing?" Edward stuttered as he came closer and tried to gently pry the fabric off of my neck.

I told him the embarrassing story of me trying to take my shirt off despite my back pain while my blush continued to intensify. Edward didn't say anything but just laughed and tried to free me in the gentlest way he could.

"This isn't working." I concurred after multiple tries of going slow.

"I think so too." Edward agreed as he took a moment to survey the situation. "Well, maybe you had the right idea of doing it quickly. On the count of three?"

"Let's get this over with."

"One…two…" Edward tugged on my shirt with all his might before he even got the 'three' out.

"Ow!"

"Sorry!"

"Meh. We have to work together on this. Otherwise, I'd be stuck like this forever." I sighed.

"Hehe. I wouldn't mind that." Edward replied. I could sense the sexy smirk on his face. "I like the color blue on you. It looks good."

It took me a minute to realize that my bra was blue. Once again, I turned redder than a tomato.

"Will you not focus on my underwear and focus on getting my shirt off instead?" I snapped at him, though deep inside me, I was rejoicing at the attention. Edward cleared his throat and resumed trying to free me from the mess I have created for myself.

"Jeez, Bella, you're sweating."

"Just do it faster, Edward! All this slow stuff is getting us nowhere."

"Well, shit, you asked for it."

Edward and I both grunted as his strong hands finally got the damn shirt off me. My arms went back to my sides and I gratefully collapsed on the mattress.

Edward sat beside me, my god forsaken shirt in his hands.

"You okay?" he asked after a moment of calming his breathing. He must have used a lot of force to get the stupid thing off me.

"Back still hurts a little, but I'll live." I replied as I sat up slowly. "Now I have to figure out how the heck I'm supposed to put a shirt _on."_

"I can help you with that." Edward grinned at me. I rolled my eyes but didn't deny his help as my Good Charlotte shirt covered my upper half. God knows I needed it, anyway.

We exited the coffin room at the same time and sat down on the leather sofa. As soon as we did, it was hard to ignore the suggestive looks Emmett was giving us.

"What the hell were you two doing in there?" Emmett asked in the tone he reserved for sexual innuendos.

"Nothing." I mumbled. I wasn't about to share the most embarrassing moment of my life to these people. Bad enough Edward had to experience it along with me.

"Of course it was _nothing._" He replied, his eyebrow going even higher. I rolled my eyes and hoped that he would just let it go.

"Ooh, Edward, go faster! You're sweating Bella! Ugh, that feels so good!" Emmett voiced dramatically before laughing so hard, he had to hold his stomach. "Yeah. _Definitely_nothing."

My epic blush returned. I knew some of the things he said, we really _did_say, but I don't remember saying that it felt good. I remember thinking it though…

Mein Gott, did I say that out loud?

"Shut up, Emmett." Edward snapped at him before looking at me and shaking his head.

"I like your idea though. Bus sex. Heh, maybe that's how baby Whitlock was conceived. Wait, so if Alice and Jasper had sex in the bus and then you two did it too, hell, Rose and I better get down to it! No way in hell are we gonna be the only ones who haven't christened this damn thi-"

"Oh good you're ready. We can start then." Rosalie interrupted as she ended a call with someone. Peter was right behind her, cleaning his lens and looking for a good place to start filming.

"How do you guys feel about the tour?" Peter asked straight up once he found the perfect place to shoot.

"Really excited, of course. Especially since a lot of the places we're going to, like Tel Aviv and Manila, were petitioned by fans from Israel and the Philippines. It gives us an insight of how much fans we really do have." Edward said as I exercised my shoulders a little to test if some of the pain had gone.

Nope. Still there.

"And what's our first stop?"

"Uh, Seattle." I answered.

"And you plan on visiting your father there."

"Yeah. Well, actually, he lives in Forks, which is about a…four drive from where we're staying. I haven't seen him in about…a year, so I think it would be a nice surprise if I stopped by."

"And you grew up in Forks, right?"

"Yeah. Well, actually, most of my childhood was spent in Arizona with my mom, but I always went to Forks during summer vacation to spend time with my dad. I did finish high school in Forks, though."

"I see. Any expectations for when you visit?"

"Well…" I trailed off as Edward began massaging my back. His hands were like magic.

"Continue," Edward snickered.

"It's kinda hard with you distracting me like that." I laughed and struggled to remember what the heck I was supposed to say. "Um, what was the question again?"

Peter laughed and repeated it for me while Edward's hands continued to make my back feel better and my heart beat faster.

"I guess I expect Forks to still look the same. You know, rainy and really green. And I also expect my old house to still be there. I don't know about my old room though. For all I know, my dad could have turned it into a gym or something." I laughed at the image of my dad working up a sweat on a treadmill. The only 'exercise' he appreciated was fishing.

The interview was cut short by a call resonating from Peter's phone. Still, Edward didn't stop. I groaned in relief when the camera stopped rolling.

"Whatever you're doing, don't stop." I muttered and closed my eyes.

Edward's hands felt so good. It felt so intimate the way he was touching me. At the back of my head, I wondered if he ever massaged Lauren this way. I internally shook my head. No way was I letting that skank ruin the moment.

"Ahem."

My head snapped and my eyes opened. The first thing I saw was Emmett trying to hold his laughter then Peter filming us.

Well, _that's_going to be an interesting bit.

Peter filmed everything we did the rest of the way to our hotel in Seattle. I swear, that DVD is going to be the most entertaining thing produced. It would have everything from Emmett attempting to imitate Edward's voice to me and Jasper playing patty cake.

We finally reached our hotel and I only knew it was our hotel because of the multitude of screaming fans waving our CDs, t-shirts, and posters.

"Do we still have to sign things?" I asked as I placed my cap and jacket on.

"Do you want to?" Rosalie responded.

"I'd rather not. I need a freakin' shower, man." Emmett whined as he scratched his head. The rest of us agreed with him. My hair was feeling so oily and it was _not_a good feeling.

The bus door opened and the screams grew a thousand fold as the band came into view. Heh. The policemen and the guards all have their work cut out for them.

"I LOVE YOU BELLA!"

"OH MY GAHD!"

"JASPER, YOU'RE SO HOT!"

"EDWARD! MARRY ME!"

The four of us each gave a small wave before swiftly entering the hotel. The barricade holding the fans back didn't seem too stable.

"We're all staying on the eighteenth floor." Rosalie told us as she distributed our respective key card things. "I know you're all tired so we'll just discuss the schedule over dinner."

And tired we were. Especially me and my stupid back. I let my guitar rest on the floor once we were inside the elevator to relieve my shoulder blades from the added stress.

"It still hurts?" Edward asked as his hands began massaging me again.

"Yeah, but keep doing that and I'll be just fine." I chuckled, half serious.

"You shouldn't be carrying this then." he motioned to my eight pound guitar. "Why didn't you just leave this with the rest of the baggage?"

"You do realize that you are referring to my limited edition Gibson Firebird X, right?" I said. "It's not just some guitar I can order again."

Edward sighed. "Whatever you say, Bells."

Edward's hands didn't cease until we reached the eighteenth floor. Being the handsome and dashing gentleman that he was, he volunteered to carry my guitar to my room as well.

"Thanks." I said when he set it down inside my room. I went to lay down on the white fluffy bed as soon as I saw it.

"No probs."

"Can you just close the door on your way out? I feel too good to get up." I closed my eyes and didn't even plan on taking my shoes off.

"You're kicking me out already?" his tone feigned offence.

My eyes snapped open and I turned my head to look at him. "Um…did you want to stay?"

"Not unless you don't want me to."

Okay, I was just getting confused.

"You can stay if you want, Edward. I'm going to be boring, though, since I'm just going to go to sleep." I sat up and stretched slowly but apparently not slowly enough. My shoulder blades reacted and I groaned a little.

"Well I can go back to being your masseur." Edward replied as he sat down on the bed behind me and began massaging my back again. I didn't hold my moan of pleasure as soon as his fingers made contact.

"Mm, I wouldn't mind that." I said, closing my eyes again. We both must have fallen asleep with me on top of him because when my phone vibrated, I felt someone stirring underneath me.

"Bellaaaaa," he whined in a sleepy voice. "Shut it off."

I buried my hand in my pocket and turned the iPhone off altogether before tossing it to the foot of the bed. I leaned forward to rest my head on whatever it was resting on before then I realized that it was Edward's chest. His right arm was around my waist and his left was wound around my back.

If I would die now, I would die very happy.

I closed my eyes, thinking that I could milk a few more hours of sleep but then the door suddenly burst open.

"Bella! Rosie said she needs you for dinner now! And have you seen Edward? He wasn't there when I went to check inside his…"

Edward and I turned our heads to Emmett, who was standing in the doorway to the bedroom with a very suggestive smirk and raised eyebrows.

"There you are, Edward." He said saucily. "Of course! Why didn't I think of looking for you between Bella's legs. You must enjoy hanging out there a lot, huh."

I gasped when I saw that I was straddling Edward. Though we were both fully clothed (even our shoes were still on), I grew insanely wetter. Dayum, I wouldn't mind waking up like _this_every single day of my life. It would be better if we didn't have any clothes on though.

Gr. Mind out of the gutter, Bella!

I quickly got off of him and he sat up while rubbing his eyes.

"Ever heard of privacy, Emmett? And how did you even get in here? The door was locked."

"Rosie has a copy of all the keys." Emmett grinned at us. "So do I tell Rosalie that you guys are going to be doing round three or you plan on getting your asses up and preparing for dinner?"

"Screw you, Emmett." Edward growled at him.

"Aw, come on now. We both know it's Bella you want to do that to."

"OUT!"

"Jeez, okay, okay!" Emmett guffawed as he finally left my hotel room. By that time, my face was as red as Mars.

"I…uh…sorry for…yeah, sleeping on the job." Edward laughed awkwardly as he stood up.

"I…it's fine." I said quietly. I rotated my shoulders a little. "Hey, at least the pain's subsiding."

He chuckled and said "I'll see you at dinner, then." before leaving me to my dangerous thoughts.

I sat unmoving in the middle of my bed for a few seconds before registering what really happened.

MY. GOD.

I SLEPT ON EDWARD CULLEN!

I didn't know how it happened, but it just…happened! Great, he might never come near me now. Way to ruin your chances of having sex with him, Bella.

Sighing, I told my brain to shut up because it wasn't my fault then took a quick shower before changing for dinner.

As usual, I wore dark jeans, my beat up black Converse and a Tokio Hotel shirt. Like I'd ever wear anything formal on just a regular night.

The rest of the band plus Rosalie was already in the hotel restaurant when I got there. From the corner of my eye, I could see Felix and the rest of our security squad scattered around the perimeter.

Once we gave our orders, Rosalie brought out her iPad and showed us our schedule for our Seattle stay.

"The concert's going to be two days from now so Bella, you can visit your dad tomorrow. Be sure to be back at the hotel by ten PM, you got it? I don't want you all loopy from sleep deprivation on the day of the sound check."

I nodded. "How am I going to get to Forks?"

"Demetri's taking you and Peter there."

"Whoa, wait. Peter's coming with me?"

"Yeah. I figured it would be a good idea to give the fans a little background of Isabella Swan's roots."

"So…aren't you guys coming with me then? I mean, since Peter's gonna be there and all."

"Um…well…we wouldn't want to intrude on your time with your dad…"

"Psh. Nonesense." I said, waving a hand. "Charlie wouldn't mind. In fact, he's probably dying to meet you guys."

"Well…alright. We'd probably join you sometime in the afternoon."

The rest of dinner went on smoothly, though the atmosphere between Edward and I seemed a little…awkward. Heh. Why wouldn't it be? I fell asleep straddling the man!

Once the bill was paid, we all called it a night. I anticipated a night of me stewing in my room about what happened earlier until Edward grabbed my wrist and stopped me from going to my room.

"Hey, um, Bella, about a few hours ago…" he started. "I mean…I just wanted to clear the air about that. We're both…fine, right? I mean, it's just…Dinner was a little…awkward."

"Oh, yeah, yeah we're good." I said quickly before chuckling. "I'm sorry for falling asleep. Your hands are just too good."

He laughed too. "I think _I_should be apologizing for falling asleep."

I grinned. "How did I end up on top of you, though."

I was surprised to see Edward blush. "Well…you started dozing off…um…backwards, so I guess I just…kinda held you, then before you know it, I fell asleep too."

Edward held me? While I slept?

Now that just made me want to giggle like a fan girl. I don't know how many times I've fantasized of Edward holding me, even just in sleep. It wasn't necessarily a post-coital cuddle, though that thought has crossed my mind on more than one occasion…

"What are you smiling about?"

His teasing voice snapped me out of my deep, dark thoughts. I blushed and just laughed it off.

"Uh…nothing. So…I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I guess I will."

I gave him a big smile. "Goodnight, Edward."

Instead of just giving me a short goodnight like I expected, Edward leaned forward, almost hesitantly, and kissed me on the cheek. No other blush rivaled the one that burst from the warm spot his lips just touched.

"Goodnight, Bella."

I think I didn't sleep that night, thinking of that kiss. He was just about two inches from my lips! My God. Would it sound pathetic if I said that that was my first kiss?

Psh. Of course not. It was Edward Cullen, dammit! Any girl would be proud to say that he was their first kiss.

Edward's lips were all I could think about on the car ride going to Forks. Heh, as if all my squealing and giddying last night wasn't enough, eh? I would have loved to relive that moment again and again but Peter had other ideas.

"Did you like it up here?" he asked as he aimed the camera at my face.

"Oh, yeah. Definitely. I had a lot of friends here, though most of them were guys. They were the ones who taught me how to ride a motorcycle despite my dad's protests."

"Ah, so you were a bit of a rebel back then."

I chuckled. "Oh, yeah. Most definitely. You'd think that having the chief of police as your dad would discipline me and Jake, but that fact just encouraged us to go against the rules even more."

For the last half hour of the trip, Peter asked me about my life in Forks and how close I was to my dad. I answered all the questions honestly and some of my replies made me laugh. Man, was I an awesome teenager.

"Alright. We're here." I said as our car stopped in front of my familiar childhood home. It was exactly as how I remembered it with the fading white walls and the vegetation everywhere. There were still some slight changes, though, like another car parked behind the cruiser and some yellow flowers by the front steps.

"How do you think Charlie would react?" Peter asked as I made my way to the front door.

"Uh…surprised, most definitely." I chuckled. "Well, here we go."

I rang the bell once. No one answered at first but after a few seconds, I heard someone call "Who is it?"

I raised an eyebrow. Charlie never said _that._And what's with his voice being all…girly?

"Uh…it's Bella?" I said, though it sounded like a question.

Almost immediately, pounding footsteps assaulted my ears. Two seconds later, the door burst open and I was greeted by my dad.

"Bella!" he bellowed so loudly, I think the whole neighborhood heard. He pulled me into a tight hug before I could even get a word out.

"Nice to see you, too, pops." I let out once he finally released me.

"Well, come on in! It looks like it's about to ra-who's your friend?" he said, finally noticing the camera lens aimed at his face.

I chuckled. "Uh, this is Peter. He's going to be taping all the behind the scenes stuff for the tour."

"Oh, right! You're on tour! Seattle right?" Charlie prattled excitedly as my nose was assaulted with the scent of…home. Sigh. So many memories. The smell seemed a little off, though. I could smell mud, perfume, and dust along with the homey smell.

"Uh, yeah, yeah, Seattle. The concert's not for two days, though, so I decided to pay a visit."

"This is –"

"Bella! You're really here!"

I turned around to see a woman running towards me. She looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place where I've seen her before.

"Um…hi?" I said tentatively.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry. You probably don't even remember me. I'm Sue, Sue Clearwater."

Ah, right. _Now_I remember. Charlie's girlfriend. Heh, I guess things were leveling up since she's now moved in.

My mind went back to when I was still eighteen. Sue had children back then: Leah and Seth. They were just about…ten or something last time I remember. I wondered where they we-

"LEAH! GET DOWN HERE AND GREET BELLA!" Sue suddenly bellowed and I suddenly jumped back. Well, that answered my question. Peter chuckled at my reaction and I just simply smirked at him and the camera.

Leah came pounding down the stairs a few seconds later in an outfit too short and too tight for Forks. The smell of perfume intensified as she came closer.

"Bella, you remember Leah?" Sue asked me as she put her hand at the small of my back and pushed me towards her daughter.

"Uh…yeah. Hey." I greeted her with a small smile.

"Hi," she said back, quite flatly, I might add, as she looked at me from head to foot. She must have dyed her hair blonde or something since last time I remember, her hair was black. Also, she was about half a foot shorter than me with much tanner skin. If you played spot the difference between the two of us, heh, that would be the easiest game ever.

"Bella's visiting while she's on tour with the rest of the band." Charlie explained as he sat down on his favorite chair. "That's why the camera's here."

"Ohmigash, why didn't you tell me there was going to be a camera?" Leah suddenly panicked as she rushed to cover her face. "I'm not ready yet!"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Peter gave me a knowing look and turned the camera towards my wall of baby pictures instead.

Sue got us to sit down while she served some hot cocoa and some home-made cookies. The camera was rolling the whole time.

Eventually, Leah came down again only this time in even sluttier clothes. Mein Gott, what is up with the world today? Whatever happened to good ol' jeans and shirts?

I sighed as I picked up a chocolate chip cookie and stuffed it into my mouth.

"How're your band mates?" Sue asked. "You work with three boys, yes?"

I laughed a little and nodded. "Yeah. Um…they're doing good. Our bassist Jasper's expecting a son soon."

"That's great news. What about Edward?"

"Edward Cullen?" Leah shrieked, suddenly turning to me. "You know Edward Cullen?"

I felt my face conforming to a what-the-fuck face. "Yeah. He's our lead singer."

"OMG! You totally work with New Moon!"

I nodded my head slowly. Jeez, was she _that_slow? And of course I work with New Moon! Hell, I'm one fourth of New Moon. I'm Bella Swan, dammit! If you knew Edward Cullen, you'd know me too!

I rolled my eyes at myself internally. Vain, much?

My iPhone vibrated during the time Peter decided to interview Charlie and Sue. It was a text from Edward.

_Wen can i come get u? jasper n emt r 2 boring._

I grinned and quickly texted back.

_in need of my entrtainmnt?_

His reply was even quicker.

_Hell yes._


	8. Chapter 8

"Is my room still here?" I asked Charlie while we stood around in the backyard. "I think I still left some stuff there before I moved out."

"Uh…" he stalled, scratching his head. My God, did he really change it into a gym? Ohoh, _this_I have to see!

"You turned it into a gym, didn't you." I said.

"No! Of course not!" he replied with a laugh. "But it isn't your room anymore. It's Leah's."

"Oh." I contemplated that for a while. I can just imagine it. My once decent dark blue walls now probably a sickening shade of pink or some shit. Thank goodness I took my band posters with me when I left. Lord knows Leah would have torn them off with her glittering manicure to replace them with something like…I dunno…what do teenagers (the uncool ones, anyway, cough cough) listen to these days anyway?

Meh. I feel so old.

One thing I _didn't_take with me were my old instruments. Well, okay, maybe that wasn't just _one_thing, but whatever. My first guitar and drum set were in my room as far as I could remember.

Sweet petunias, what could have happened to them?

"So where'd you move my stuff?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips. Charlie's lack of response got me panicking and thinking that he might've auctioned them off or something. Jacob got his entrepreneurial skills from him, anyway.

"Relax, Bells. They're just in the guest room. I didn't sell them or anything." He grinned, as if reading my mind.

"Can we go take a look at them?" Peter asked from behind the camera. I nodded. "Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing."

We marched back into the house and I made a beeline for the first floor guest room. It was smaller than my old bedroom, but it wasn't a closet so I guess it was…alright.

My old drums were casted off to one corner and next to it was my very first guitar. I grinned as I dusted off the old leather seat and sat down, feeling eighteen again. I took my old drum sticks and began playing New Moon's song, _Breaking Dawn._ It was yours truly who helped Emmett with the drum beat anyway.

"How long did you study drums?" Peter asked as he sat on the bed, still filming.

"Hm, more or less two years. It was my second love. My first of course was the guitar." I stopped playing and took my old acoustic guitar instead. It was out of tune so I began tuning it by ear.

"Did you ever play in high school bands or anything?"

I chuckled. "No, actually. No one in school knew I could even lift a guitar let alone play it, so it definitely came across as a shock to everyone when I just suddenly became New Moon's guitarist."

A knock on the door interrupted the interviews. Charlie poked his head in. "Hey, Bells. You guys wanna have a tour of the house? Sue insists you comment on the master bedroom. We had it remade."

"Sounds like a good idea," I agreed, following him out the door with Peter at my tail. The kitchen remained the same, only it seemed like a teenage boy was living there. Seth must be into skateboarding because there were dirt streaks on the rug and a helmet by the toaster.

"Where's your old room, Bella?" Peter asked as we ascended the stairs. When we reached the top, I gestured vaguely to the white door down the hall. "I guess we can check it out later, but it's Leah's room now, so we have to ask permission."

Charlie led the way to his and Sue's room where things definitely changed. It looked like a woman was staying there, which was true, anyway.

Sue noticed us and insisted that Peter take a break and have some lunch. I was getting hungry too, despite my very heavy breakfast, but I was curious to see what Leah has done to my previous sanctuary. I found her exiting the bathroom.

"Hey, Leah. Do you mind if I check out my old pad? I mean, I understand it's your room now." I said.

She simply shrugged. "Sure, sure." She replied, leading the way. The door opened and I think I just about dropped dead.

It was worse than what I had imagined. Instead of some teenie paradise where endless garb about the Jonas Brothers (see? I still know some teen shit groups) was strewn across the room, I saw Edward's face plastered everywhere.

Seriously. It was like the whole place was a shrine to him! All the posters we've shot and printed were found in there plus some pictures from the Internet and clippings from magazines. Photos of Emmett, Jasper and I were also there, but mostly, it was Edward, Edward and more flipping Edward.

And she didn't know I was New Moon's guitarist _WHY?_

"So what do you think?" Leah asked once I was fully inside the room.

"Uh…" I stalled as my eyes browsed over what she had done. "I…your room's…nice." Hah. Lies. "Very…self-expressive."

"So how's it like working with Edward? Is it true that his hair's naturally like that? Because I've heard rumors that he just dyes it." Leah suddenly gabbed as she sat down on her bed while looking at me with expectant eyes.

Sweet mercy. Jesus, take the wheel!

"Ah…" I said, moving towards the vanity that I used to own. Before I could spew out more words, Leah beat me to the punch and started yapping about Edward.

"God, he's just so sexy! Aren't his abs just divine?" she gushed as she ran her hands through a shirtless Edward's poster, giggling as if she was touching the real thing.

I was disturbed. Plain and simple.

"What does he look for in a girl? He likes blondes, right? I mean, his last girlfriend was a blonde." She self consciously stroked her faux platinum locks.

My mouth was open the entire time. Mein Gott. Kill me now. Bitte.

A knock on the door fortunately saved me from subtle torture in this room of…of…of…Edward worship. It was Sue, calling us down to lunch as well. I ran out of that room like I just saw Jacob naked (that happened once. I was emotionally scarred ever since) and pounded down the stairs as quickly as I could.

My phone vibrated in my pocket just as I saw Peter scarfing down some fish. It was a call from Rosalie.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Bella! I'm not disturbing anything, am I?"

"Nope. Just about to have lunch. Why?"

"Oh. Nothing. Just called to say that we're about two hours away from Forks."

"And by we you mean…?"

"I mean me, Jasper, Emmett and of course, Edward. They're all excited to see what your house looks like. Especially Edward." There were some snickering and teasing in the background.

I froze. Aw, shit, shit, shit! Edward's coming? _With Leah here?_Aw, hell no!

"Helloooo. Bella, you there?"

"Ha? Ah, yeah, yeah, right here." I stumbled over my own words.

"Alright. Well, we'll see you in two hours. I'll let you get back to lunch. Bye!"

The line went dead.

_Scream_began playing in my head, particularly the part where Bill goes all _'Nei-nei-nei-nananana-nein!'_because that was certainly what I was yelling in my head.

Hurr. This is not good. Not good at all. Especially since for sure, those three yahoos would be begging to see my room. Course they won't believe that the guest room's the place.

But that seemed like the least of my concerns. Numero uno was still the slutty teenager who was currently picking at her food.

"Who was that, Bella?" Charlie asked as I sat down at the table.

"Just Rosalie." I replied.

"Heh. I thought it was someone you didn't like. Your face looks…" he waved his fork at my expression. It was then that I realized that my eyebrows had mashed together and my forehead was creased. I smoothed my face immediately and just dug into my plate.

Two hours. They'll be here in freakin' two hours.

Maybe I can get rid of Leah somehow…

"So what did Rosalie want? Do you have to go back already?" Charlie asked after a while, his tone sounding sad at the concept of me leaving so soon.

"Ehm, no. She just called to say that they're two hours from Forks." I viciously stabbed an intimidating piece of fish and shoveled it down my throat.

"Oh! They're coming here? That's wonderful! The more the merrier!" Sue clapped her hands in a very Alice manner and began talking about wanting to make them taste her peach cobbler.

"Who's coming over?" Leah asked.

"I…don't know." I lied. It was stupid to add fuel to the fire by telling her Edward was coming. Though things may turn out worse by not telling her. Whatever. I took my chances.

"Is the band coming over?" Charlie said through a full mouth. Keh. Thanks a lot, pops.

"Edward Cullen's coming _HERE?"_Leah screeched. I resisted the urge to do a facepalm.

"I said I don't know." I repeated.

After lunch, I showed Peter my old Chevy which was still parked in the garage. It wouldn't run anymore, but it still had some good memories.

The topic then went to my old friends and classmates. Charlie talked about how I was kind of a loner in high school and how I was such a rebel. I just sat there and laughed as he retold the stories of my years as a pain in the ass.

I jumped when a car honk sounded. It was two hours already?

"That must be them." Peter said. I nodded and made quick strides to the front door.

"Nice place, Bella!" Emmett hollered as he eyed my old house up and down.

Jasper came out of the car and surveyed the area as well. "Yes. It's a very nice house." He agreed.

Edward came out last. But instead of looking at my digs like the other two were, he focused his eyes on me instead. He gave a wave and I came closer.

"I can't believe you used to live here. LA's the freakin' Sahara compared to this!" he chuckled. I laughed with him.

"Bella?" Charlie's head appeared through the doorway. His eyes went wide as he took in the group of boys whom he probably only saw on TV.

"Hey, dad!" I called him over so he would come closer. "Dad, this is Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper and Edward. Guys, this is my dad Charlie."

They exchanged pleasantries briefly before Charlie invited everyone to come inside since it was starting to rain. I was laughing and joking around with everyone else until a piercing shout rang in our ear drums.

"OH MY _GAHD!_EDWARD!"

Out of nowhere, Leah surged forward and latched herself onto Edward. Her arms wrapped around his middle and both of them would have stumbled backwards if Edward didn't have some balance.

"Uh…"Edward turned to look at us for some help. Luckily, Sue and Demetri were quick to act.

"Leah! Will you stop molesting Bella's boyfriend? I swear, teenagers sometimes…" Sue muttered as Demetri began prying her off of Edward. Heh. He must have fan girl senses or he heard her battle cry together with the rest of Forks.

"I'm really sorry about that," Sue huffed, shaking her head. "I'm Sue Clearwater, by the way. Bella's…um…"

"She's dating Charlie." I clarified.

"It's alright." Edward said with a smile, but he moved so that he was right behind me. His hands were on my shoulders as I acted as his human shield in case Leah attacked again.

No complains there.

"Good Lord. Was this you, Bella?" Emmett guffawed as he looked at some of my baby pictures hanging from the wall. "Damn, we should have come here months ago! This place is the center of potential blackmail!"

I blushed as Charlie oh so helpfully said "If you want the _real_stuff, I suggest you look through those photo albums." He pointed to those in the bookshelf.

I groaned as Emmett and Jasper grabbed the leather bound albums and began pointing and laughing at my pre-pubescent pictures together with some high school ones.

"Who are these?" Rosalie asked as she laid a manicured finger on the group of boys with me in a picture.

"Oh, those are Paul, Quil, Embry, and Sam. The boys from La Push that me and Jake used to hang out with all the time. They were the ones who taught me how to dirt bike and shit."

"Did you ever date any of them?" Edward asked as he eyed the picture with an expression too intense to be joking.

"Hah." I snorted. "No. I didn't date anyone in high school. Hell, I didn't date anyone ever." I'm willing to break that streak for you though…

"I wanna see your room." Emmett said once he believed that he had seen enough to blackmail me or some shit. "You used to play drums, right?"

"Yeah. In fact, my old drum set's still here."

I showed the band the guest room and gave them a tour of the house as well. Every room, I've shown…well, except of course Leah's room.

Emmett and Jasper asked if they could borrow mine and Jake's old dirt bikes. I warned them that they might not even work anymore, but after a few tries, both the old dogs worked perfectly. Without a second thought, they took both bikes outside and began racing each other through the dirt and mud.

"How was it like living here?" Edward asked while we stood by the porch, watching and hearing the two idiots yell and accuse each other of cheating.

I looked up at the gloomy sky before answer. "It was…alright, I suppose. I mean it was fun for the most part."

He smiled. "You know, I almost moved here when I was sixteen."

I stared at him wide-eyed. We could have met (and dated) in high school?

"Really?" I squeaked.

"Yeah. I was living in Seattle with my parents when my dad was thinking about being Forks' doctor. My mother wasn't such a fan of small towns, though, so we just stayed in Seattle."

"Huh. Interesting." I murmured, my eyebrows furrowing at the thought of us possibly meeting sooner.

Still, I guess if we did meet in high school, we wouldn't be where we were now.

"What stuff did you do here for fun?" Rosalie asked as she took a sip of Sue's hot chocolate. Apparently, she was too cold. You'd think that for all the months we spent in freezing Europe, she'd be used to low temperatures by now.

I shrugged. "I dunno. All I ever did in high school was dirt bike, play video games and learn music. Wasn't really that sociable." I laughed.

"No boyfriends then?" Edward asked again.

I suppressed the giant grin that threatened to break through my face.

"None. Never had one, probably never will." Was I sounding bitter? Yeah, most definitely. Didn't hurt to give him a little hint though.

Edward opened his mouth to say something but then the door opened and Leah stepped out shyly.

"Um…mom said you guys should…come in now," she looked up through her eye lashes straight at Edward. "Dinner's ready."

"Okay. I'll go call the two idiots." Rosalie tightened her jacket and marched authoritatively towards Emmett and Jasper who were calling each other out for cheating with Peter filming the whole thing. Despite the slippery concrete and her four inch heels, her stance and posture were still very supermodel.

I sniffed the air. The smell of steak and potatoes wafted from the open door and it made my mouth water. "Mm, smells good." I commented.

Edward chuckled. "Of course _you'd_be excited about food. Didn't you just finish a giant ass sandwich?"

I shrugged. "You're forgetting that you're talking to the lady who beat Emmett in an eating contest six months ago."

"And still your body looks like this." he chuckled lightly again and wrapped an arm around my waist. I blushed, both at his physical contact and his comment, though it probably meant nothing.

Edward pushed me forward a little until I was in front of him then placed both hands at my sides. "Let's go," he leaned in and whispered in my ear.

My blush multiplied a thousand fold and I was glad that Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Peter distracted him from noticing or saying anything about it.

Leah gave me the stink eye as Edward led me inside with his hands still making contact with me. Whatever. We'll be leaving soon, anyway.

We made our way to the dining table and Leah decided to sit next to Edward. Heh. Poor dude. He looked horrified when he saw who'd be passing him the gravy.

I sat across him and tried to stifle my laughter as I noticed how Leah just stared at him with fangirl eyes. Sure, her room was screaming borderline obsessed, but I still found the situation pretty hilarious. No feeling of jealousy roused in me. I mean, come on. What is she, seventeen?

"Seth is staying at his friend's house tonight, unfortunately." Sue said apologetically as she laid out the feast. "I tried to tell him to at least come over to say hi, but the boy is just so stubborn."

"Eh, it's fine." I said, already armed with a knife and fork, ready to devour whatever was put in front of me.

"I know this dinner might be a little too early, but – "

"Oh, no, no, the time is just right." Rosalie interrupted with a smile. "In fact, it's better this way. I can get the band back to the hotel earlier. We have sound check early tomorrow."

New Moon groaned at the same time.

"Won't we get to start at…noon or something?" Emmett asked as he cut through his meat. "I mean, they still have to set up the stage and shit, right?"

"May I remind you that you haven't even finalized a set list yet? Not to mention all the stage effects we're going to have to test out."

"Can't we do that after we wake up at around one in the afternoon?" I argued. "Come on, Rose. We're not morning people."

"No." Rosalie said with finality. She took a vicious bite of her potato to punctuate her point.

"What do you do in sound check?" Leah asked, her tone flirtatious. The way she was looking at Edward said that she wanted him to answer.

However, Edward just shrugged and looked at me. "Care to explain, Bells?"

"You know, usual pre-show stuff. Like testing amps, instruments, equipments…then seeing if the stage was set up correctly. Stuff like that." I summed it up the best I could.

Leah shrugged as well. "That doesn't sound too hard."

Yeah, well, you won't be saying that after you experience a full twelve hours of carrying a ten pound guitar while playing the songs again and again that you never want to hear them ever again.

"What time is the concert?" Charlie asked.

"They start letting people in at around…six-ish?" I turned to Rose who nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, so that means the concert would start around seven. Why?"

"Just trying to figure out what time we could leave Forks to be there on time."

"You guys wanna go?" I asked incredulously. My father was most certainly not the type who appreciates rock concerts, and Leah and Sue didn't look like the type either.

"Sure. It's once in a blue moon that you visit and have a concert so close. I want to see how you perform live and not just some crappy fan video on YouTube."

I opened my mouth to say something but Rosalie interrupted. "That would be nice. I'll make sure your tickets are free and you guys can have backstage passes, too, if you'd like."

Leah's face lit up. Edward and I looked at each other from across the table. Not a good idea, man. Not a good idea.

I gave him an apologetic smile and reached over to pat his hand.

Before it can leave the premises, his hand held on to mine. I blushed and was thankful that no one noticed since they were all busy eating.

Well, no one except Leah, anyway.

Dinner finished eventually and we all prepared to leave. I went back to the guest room and took my old box filled with colorful guitar picks that I had discovered earlier. I contemplated taking my old guitar too, but then a knock on the door interrupted my thinking.

Sue stepped in and stood beside me.

"You have everything you need?" she asked and I nodded, lifting the box.

"Yeah. I don't know if I should take this, too, though." I lifted the acoustic guitar with my other hand.

Sue smiled and reached over to put a hand on my shoulder. "Thanks for coming, Bella. Your visit was really a nice gift."

I smiled back. "No problem. I wish Jake would've come, though."

She laughed. "I'm sure he's very busy. I just wanted to apologize for Leah's behavior throughout the evening. I know you don't appreciate her ogling your boyfriend so much."

I chuckled. "That's oka-" I stopped at mid-word. Did she just say _boyfriend?_

"Oh, no, no, Sue. Edward's not my boyfriend." I said. Couldn't hide my disappointed tone, though.

Her eyebrows came together. "Really? I was certain you guys are dating. You acted like such a nice couple tonight. Reminded me of your father and I."

I grimaced. "Nah. We're really…not."

The hand on my shoulder patted it three times. "Don't worry. I'm sure he'll see the amazing person in you and ask you to be his girlfriend in no time. I can feel it."

"Eh…okay?" I said, shifting uncomfortably. She was beginning to sound a lot like Alice.

"Bella! Let's go!" Rosalie's voice hollered from outside.

"I guess I'll see you the day after tomorrow." I said. "Bye, Sue."

"Bye Bella."

I decided to take my old guitar to bring home with me after the tour. Edward, always the gentleman, offered to carry it to our ride where Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie were already waiting.

As the engine heated up, I looked at my old house. From where we were, I could see where my old room was. I shuddered as I thought of how it turned into an Edward shrine.

Still, I suppose if I could, I would cover my walls with his gorgeous face, too. Well, no, that's a lie. That would be the last thing I would probably do.

Anyway, the real thing's better than a thousand posters combined.


	9. Chapter 9

"_Kiss me till you're drunk and I'll show you, all the moves like Jagguh, I've got the moves like Jagguh, I've got the moooooooooves like Jagguuuuh."_

"Sure you do, Bella."

"Shut up. We all know I can't dance to save my life. At least I can whistle."

It was four in the afternoon the next day and we've been testing everything for about five hours now. Apparently, the pyrotechnics had to be adjusted a lot so that we wouldn't sweat to death or burn the stage down. My guitar strap was digging into my shoulder and we haven't even had lunch yet. And, on top of everything, _Moves Like Jagger_would not stop playing in my head.

The stage looked awesome. The crew did a good job. It was our first time touring with the stage totally made from scratch, but the extra ten trucks were totally worth it. Emmett had his own drum riser and I had a new effects board.

"Can I get more water, please?" Edward called out as he emptied his bottle. He wiped the towel around his neck at his face. Almost immediately, a stage hand came over and handed him some.

"Okay, everyone. We'll just try the fire out one more time, and sound check's over." Frank the stage director promised as he looked at his clip board.

Emmett did the drum count and we played _Final Day_with the pyro for hopefully, the last time until the concert. We were finally released for lunch afterwards and I almost cried in relief.

"Thank lord we're done." Jasper huffed before taking a big bite of his burger.

"Amen to that, brother." Emmett agreed. "I think the sound check was even longer than the actual concert!"

"Well, we don't call them slave drivers for nothing." Edward pointed out, jutting his thumb at some stage people who were by the craft service table. I was surprised he could even talk; with all the singing he had to do, I thought he'd already lose his voice.

I rotated my left shoulder and felt the skin to know if my strap left any marks. I couldn't feel any, but closer inspection under my shirt revealed that it was red.

Rosalie came over with her iPad and a smile while we dug into our food. "Good news! Your concert's sold out! Well, actually it's been sold out for two weeks. I just learned that now."

"Cool," I approved before sipping my Coke.

"And, they also informed me that some…known people are going to be in attendance. Senator Varner's daughter and her friends are coming."

"He has a girl kid?" Emmett asked as he looked up from his burger. "I thought the dude had an all-boy brood."

"You're thinking of Michael Varner Sr." I pointed out. "Rose was referring to the junior. His daughter's name is Jane, right?"

"Right. Good for you, Bella. You actually know your politics." Rosalie grinned at me before looking over at Emmett.

I shrugged. Eh. That's what you get when you read random Yahoo! Articles when you're not doing anything. And with me, that's most of the time.

"Are we doing anything after this?" Edward asked. He yawned and stretched his arms in front of him before clearing his throat.

"Yeah. MTV Buzzworthy." Rosalie replied. "It's going to be held back at the hotel and it would just take about two and a half hours tops, so that won't be too problematic for us."

I nodded while I rotated my shoulder again. I winced a little and that didn't escape Edward's notice.

"Does your shoulder still hurt?" he asked, automatically putting a hand there.

All my senses were alerted and my heart beat doubled in speed. "Um, no, but it's a little uncomfortable to have my shoulder weighed down for so long." I explained. "The rotating helps with the pain a little."

Edward nodded but his hand rubbed my shoulder anyway. Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie gave us suggestive looks – Emmett most especially – but they didn't comment on anything.

At around six in the evening, we left the concert venue and made our way back to the hotel. The paparazzi were everywhere and a lot of things were getting shoved in our faces for us to sign by the zealous fans who braved the rainy weather just to wait for us.

We made it inside unscathed and almost immediately, we were shuffled into the elevator. A bunch of other guests were there too, so it was a little crowded.

Okay, scratch the little. It was _really_crowded.

"Dude, you're kinda touching my schlong," I heard Emmett whisper to Jasper while we ascended. I tried to muffle my laughter by stuffing my jacket sleeve into my mouth, but a snort still came out.

"Well, forgive me for feeling you up, but I don't have any room to move anymore." Jasper replied, not moving an inch from where he was standing.

"I don't think Rosalie would appreciate that much." Emmet gestured to his girlfriend who was too distracted with her PDA to pay attention to them.

When Jasper still wouldn't budge, Emmett shoved him a little too much since Jasper stumbled to the side a little which created a Domino effect with me.

I was just lucky that Edward's arms were there to keep me from slamming into the elevator wall.

"Will you just stay here?" he whispered in my ear as he pulled me in front of him so that my back was resting against his chest. "Even when we're not moving you're still a magnet for accidents. Especially with the two stooges here." He nodded his head to Jasper, who was glaring at Emmett, and Emmett who was happy that no one was touching his wiener.

I nodded and expected his arm to drop from my waist, but it never happened. The whole ride to the thirty third floor was probably the best two minutes of my life. Oh what I wouldn't give to be in that tight little space with nothing but Edward, me and that cute little emergency stop button…

The elevator _ding_-ed and the five of us got out. Rosalie led us to Room 483 where the MTV Buzzworthy crew was busy setting up cameras, lighting and the usual interview stuff.

"New Moon's finally here! Hi, I'm Carmen Newly. I'll be doing the interview today." A woman in her thirties with olive skin greeted us with a smile.

"Nice to meet you. Rosalie Hale, the band manager."

"Very nice to meet you, too." She replied, shaking Rosalie's hand and then ours. "Edward, Bella, Emmett, Jasper. Welcome to MTV Buzzworthy! You'll be getting your hair and make-up done here." She ushered us towards a row of mirrors and seats. "The interview starts in about forty five minutes. I'll see you then."

While I endured the hands in my hair and the multiple brushes and sponges at my face, I thought of all the past Buzzworthy interviews I've seen. All the questions asked in those interviews were sent in my fans. Heh. Wonder what questions were going to hit us.

Once we were presentable, the four of us sat on the long couch in front of the camera. Once the recording light was on, Carmen began.

"Hey everyone. We're here with New Moon who are currently on their first world tour. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"Awesome. Let's get started. First question's from lissM, and she wants to know what you guys do in your free time."

"Oh, that's easy." Edward replied. "Sleeping."

"Definitely sleep." Jasper agreed. "It's the most fulfilling hobby of all time."

"Well, aside from sex." Emmett pointed out nonchalantly like he was talking about walking. Carmen laughed with the rest of us.

"Right then. We have a person here with the username LiLi82 and she wrote 'Bella, are you the only one who isn't dating right now?'"

I felt all eyes on me and I tried to laugh it off. "Yeah, I'm still single."

"Why's that? Is it because you're not interested in anyone right now?"

Oh, I'm interested in _someone_alright. "Well…that's not really the case, but…well I suppose you can say that it's quite the other way around. Sorta." Was I the only one getting confused here?

"Ah, so your interest isn't interested in you." Carmen stated simply.

I shrugged. "I guess you can say that."

Emmett made 'awww' sounds while simultaneously hitting Edward's knee with his own.

"In relation to that question, Kgunter34 asks, and this is for all of you guys, 'do you have any celebrity crushes?'"

"Megan Fox." Emmett replied immediately. I looked at Rosalie at the background who was looking at him with an amused expression.

Carmen chuckled. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean she's hot, plus I love a tough chick. The tattoos are a turn on, too." Heh. Okay. TMI, Emmett, TMI.

"What about you, Jasper? Anyone at all?"

"Well aside from my very pregnant wife Alice, I'd say…well, no one. It's only her."

"That's so sweet," Carmen commented. "How far along is she?"

"About six months along," Jasper replied proudly. "We're holding out for it to be a boy."

"Oh, your wife wants a boy?"

"Nah. She wants a girl, of course, but I mean _we,"_he made a gesture that included Edward, Emmett and I. "Are hoping for the boy. But I guess in the end, it wouldn't matter as long as the baby and my wife are healthy."

"That's nice. Edward? Bella? Anyone for you?"

I opened my mouth to try to redirect her question, but Emmett found it appropriate to respond for us. "Sure. They have each other."

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped a little. I recovered my facial expression and looked over at Edward, who was staring intently at me. Our eyes held for a few more electricity-infused seconds until Jasper interrupted.

"See?" he chuckled. We dropped our gazes and faced forward.

Carmen laughed but thankfully, she moved on to the next question. "vikinglvr wants to know what your favorite oldies band is."

"Oldies music…as in stuff from the 70's or something?" Edward clarified. "The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple are mine. I've been listening to them since I was a teenager. "And Queen, too."

"The Beatles." I said with a nod. "George Harrison has been a huge influence on my guitar style."

"Jasper and I really like The Eagles." Emmett said. "But Led Zeppelin and The Who are awesome bands as well."

"Yeah, I listen to Queen and The Beatles a lot too." Carmen approved with a smile. "Okay, last one before we take a short break. lust516 is interested to know how well you are at playing your own songs in Rock Band."

"I'm just as good since singing's still singing." Edward replied confidently. The three of us scoffed and he just shrugged.

"Um, I'd say that I'm pretty good as well. I mean, I do have a spot in the top five international Rock Band rankings." I bragged a little.

"Impressive." Carmen said while nodding. "Alright, we'll be taking a short break but when we come back, there's going to be more New Moon and more fan questions answered here on MTV Buzzworthy."

"Aaaand, we're out." one of the crew members called.

"So," Rosalie started as she paraded over to us. "Megan Fox, huh."

Emmett's face went pale while Edward, Jasper and I laughed our asses off.

"Baby, she said…but-"

Rosalie laughed. "It's fine, baby. I didn't take it seriously. Or should I?" she asked him pointedly. Emmett quickly shook his head.

"I didn't realize I have to get tattoos now, though." Rosalie muttered. I had a feeling she was being serious about that one.

"Damn, baby, that would be so hot." Emmett agreed immediately, standing up and following her to the snack table. "Maybe you can get one on your-"

"How's Alice?" Edward asked Jasper, who had his phone out again, texting his fingers off. I appreciated Edward asking that. Lord knows what I would have heard from Emmett's dirty mouth if he hadn't talked over him.

"A little cranky and driving her cousins insane, apparently." Jasper chuckled. "Her parents are holding out, though. I was texting with Marilyn." He held out is Blackberry, where Marilyn Brandon's name was blinking.

"Maybe the baby's a boy." I said. "Renee was the most irritable bitch ever when she was pregnant with Jacob. Charlie made me live with my grandparents for a while until she finally gave birth just to spare me from her mood."

"And how was she when she was pregnant with you?"

"Well, I wouldn't know from personal experience, but according to Charlie, they thought I was a boy." I laughed. "Apparently, I kicked too much. Big surprise when a baby girl came out. I still act like a boy, though."

"I think that's cool." Edward said. "I like girls who are tomboys."

I blushed. Is that a clue, Steve? "Thanks. At least I know someone still _likes_ me." I placed a little more weight on that word.

"No problem, beautiful." He replied lazily with a smile just as Carmen returned to her seat. Emmett was a few steps behind her. He took his seat next to Edward with a smear of lipstick on his lips and his curly hair a mess. No doubt this was all Rosalie's doing.

"Nice make up," I commented.

He looked confused for a second before dragging his finger across his lips and gasped when he saw the glistening red on his fingertip. "I'll be right back." He muttered before bolting.

When he returned five minutes later – sans the lipstick – the interview was back in action.

"Hey, we're here with New Moon and they're going to be answering some questions fans had sent in through the Buzzworthy website. This one's from Vl15. 'If you can bring only three things with you while on a deserted island, what would they be?'"

"Hmm…"

"Only three things?"

"Yes, just three."

"This is hard," I chuckled. "But top three things for me are my guitar, iPod, and food. Definitely food."

"I'd take my car, my laptop, probably, and, yeah, food." Edward said.

"I'd have three huge bags with everything I need inside them." Emmett declared.

"Hey, that's cheating." I said, looking at him.

"No it's not. It's being smart. What, bags aren't considered things anymore?"

"Not when there are things inside them." I argued.

"Whatever. I'm still taking the three bags." Emmett said.

Carmen chuckled lightly at our banter. "What about you, Jasper?"

"Hmm…" he contemplated. "I would bring Alice…"

"You consider your wife a thing?" I said with an amused expression.

"She's the _only_thing for me." Jasper declared with a smug smile on his face. "Well…her and my DVD collection." He admitted, then after some more thought, said "Oh, and my bass, too."

"Nice to know," Carmen said with a smile. "Uh, okay. loserbelle wants to know what your most embarrassing moment is while performing on stage."

"Let's see…most embarrassing moment…yeah, I'd have to say when my in-ear monitor was acting up and I didn't get the timing of _I'm Not Okay_right."

"Well, he _blames_the in-ear monitor, anyway." Jasper said teasingly. "We all had to adjust our timing to match his!"

We all laughed before Carmen continued with her list of fan queries. I think we answered seven more before the final one arrived.

"Okay, last question and this one's from Rawr Olivia Grace, and she wrote, 'if you can live forever, what do you live for?'"

"If I can live forever…I don't know if I even want that." I said honestly. "I mean, all your friends are dead, your family's dead, so you'd be all alone. I guess I wouldn't…live for anything."

"Yeah. But if I'd get to make someone immortal with me, then it would be alright. If that were the case, then I'd be living for that person." Edward said.

"Okay, so if you were able to make someone live forever alongside you, who would it be?"

"Rosalie." Emmett said immediately. "I mean, I like Megan Fox and all, but I don't think I'd be able to go through forever without Rosie." He winked at her direction behind the camera.

"Does it only have to be one person?" Jasper scratched his head. "Because I would take Alice and our children with me to immortality. They're the most important people in my life."

I waited for Carmen to ask me to answer, but fortunately the moment never came. However, if ever I _was_pressed to, I guess we all know the answer to that question.

The rest of the night proved to be uneventful, which I was thankful for since I was pretty tired. The next day, we did a couple more interviews, but for the most part, we were left to our own devices.

"How's everything back there?" I asked Jacob via Skype after our last press junket.

"Everything's going great. LA's still hot as hell, but we're surviving." He replied.

"Alright. I went to see dad, by the way." I said. "He's living with Sue now."

"Clearwater? Wow, never thought the old man wouldn't have the guts to ask her to move in with him." He chuckled. "What about her kids?"

"Well, Leah and Seth are living there now, too, and since Leah took over my room, I'm guessing Seth's living in your old room too."

"Ah, yeah. That place had good memories." He sighed. "Did Edward and the guys come with you? To visit Charlie, I mean."

I nodded. "Yeah. Charlie's met 'em already."

"Did he threaten Edward with a gun?"

"Why the heck would he do that?"

"Didn't you introduce him as your boyfriend?"

I gasped. "What the fuck? I told you we weren't dating!"

"Psh. Wait and see, sister dearest. The day will come."

"Sue thought we were, though." I mumbled, playing with the zipper on my jacket. "She even apologized to me when Leah pounced on him."

"Dayum, wish I was there to see that." Jacob laughed. "Would've been hilarious."

I was about to respond with a sarcastic comment when a knock interrupted my witty comeback. "Wait, there's someone at the door."

"It's alright. I was just heading out, anyway. Later, Bells!"

I shuffled my socked feet to the door and opened it to see Edward on the other side.

"Hey. What's up?" I tried to ignore the furious beating of my heart as I took in the Greek god leaning against my door frame.

"Hey. Um, nothing much. Just came over to see if you wanted to do anything."

I smiled. "I'm not doing anything right now, so…what did you have in mind? Oh, and come inside!" I grabbed his hand and pulled him, shutting the door behind him.

"Erm, sorry if it's a little messy." I apologized when I realized that my room was less than neat. Four leather jackets were thrown over the sofa and two pairs of Converse sneakers were scattered at the foot of my bed. My iPod was haphazardly balancing on top of the console table while it charged and a bunch of my shirts were clumped together on the love seat.

"It's fine," he chuckled. "My room more or less looks like this too, anyway."

"I don't think there's a place for you to sit anymore," I started apologetically, but he just waved a hand and sat down on my bed. "Not a problem. I can sit here."

I nodded and sat next to him. "So what did you want to do?"

"I dunno. Hang out?"

"Aw, is Cullen feeling lonely?" I teased, reaching over to muss his hair. He snorted but didn't deny.

We spent the night watching TV and making fun of stupid reality shows. Everything was going really well, especially when his arm had found its way around my shoulder sometime that night. We must have fallen asleep because next thing I knew, the wake up service was blaring in my ears.

I huffed as I reached over the side table to shut the phone off. I collapsed in what I thought was my pillow, but turned out to be an arm. Edward's arm.

Well, at least I didn't fall asleep straddling him this time

I was awake in an instant. I stared at his beautiful face as he snored softly at the pillow beside mine. He was just so…beautiful. It wasn't fair.

I sighed and tentatively reached over to sweep some of his bronze locks away from his forehead. Edward hummed in response before snuggling deeper into sleep.

"Edward," I said, moving my hand to his shoulder, shaking it a bit. "Edwaaaard."

"Hm?" was his unconscious response.

"You have to get up. It's concert day," I said. When he didn't respond, I went back to the shaking.

He stirred eventually and looked confused when he saw me. "Bella?"

"And the princess finally awakes." I said. "Thought I'd had to kiss you awake or something."

Edward grinned mischievously. "I wouldn't have minded that."

I blushed and smirked at the same time. "I bet you wouldn't. Now, come on. You have to get dressed. Today's the concert."

He scratched his eyes. "Heh. Oh yeah." He glanced at the TV, which we didn't get to turn off, and at his clothes. "Sorry for falling asleep on you again. This is becoming a habit."

"It's fine." I said with a smile. More than fine, really.

After a brief goodbye, Edward left my hotel room and I proceeded to take a shower. I was in the middle of applying eyeliner when I heard Emmett's distinct chuckle from my doorframe.

"So did I just imagine it, or was it Edward I saw doing the walk of shame coming from your room?"

I sighed. "It wasn't the walk of shame, Emmett. He just…fell asleep while were hanging out."

"Ah, so you slept together." He said with that suggestive look again.

"Har har," I deadpanned before putting my watch on. "Not in that sense. And how did you get in here anyway?"

He held up the copy of my hotel room key and jingled it in the air. "Urgh. Next time, I want my room booked in _my_name." I said, following his laughing form out to breakfast.

_Everything's going to be fine. Breathe in and breathe out…_

And so we're back to square one. The jitters for this show seemed to be worse than all other shows combined and I didn't know if it was because it was the first show of the tour or because my guitar sounded a little off when we tested it out earlier.

Instead of doing his squats in front of the mirror like always, Jasper was on the phone with Alice on the other line. The baby must be getting more and more uncomfortable to carry since I could hear Jasper saying 'I know, baby, I know' and 'it will be over in a little while, sweetheart. I promise' to her over and over again.

Emmett was lying face down on the couch while his ears were plugged. I didn't even know how he was still breathing since his face was completely buried in a pillow.

Edward was humming under his breath while his right foot bounced rapidly. Every once in a while, he'd run a hand through his hair or cuss quietly.

As for me, I kept myself busy with the table of candy they provided for us. The Ferrero Rocher chocolates distracted me the most since I tended to eat those layer by layer.

Peter came in a little later and started filming our behind the scenes breakdowns. I tried to act as normally as possible but as a result, I came out spazzier than usual.

"Nervous about your first show?" he asked as he aimed the lens at my face while I licked the chocolate off my fingers.

"You have no idea." I said. "The first and last shows are usually the ones with the worst nerves. You just can't help but think that something might go wrong today."

"What do you usually do to calm yourself?"

I shrugged. "Nothing. The others have these techniques, but I don't really have one. I just…I dunno. I just try to distract myself."

Tyler arrived a little later and helped us fit our in-ear monitors. Edward made sure that his worked properly to avoid another embarrassing moment.

A couple minutes later, a knock on the door disturbed our pre-show panicking. I thought it was going to be the stage manager, telling us that the show's about to start, but instead it was Rosalie.

"Bella, your dad and Sue are here." She informed me. I looked at her quizzically until I remembered that he promised to come. I guess Rose really did give him backstage passes.

I followed her out of the green room to the one where Charlie, Sue, and even Leah were waiting. She looked like a stereotypical groupie. Boobs out for display, make up applied twice (or at least it looked like she applied it twice) and heels so high and thin I wondered if they got stuck in the holes the stairs going up there had.

"Bella!" Charlie greeted enthusiastically when he saw me.

"Hey, dad." I greeted. Surprisingly, the nervousness didn't show in my voice. "How was the trip over here?"

"Long," he said, making a subtle notion to Leah. "But it was worth it. I can't wait to see you perform. The place is so packed to the brim, you couldn't drop a needle."

Well, that news definitely didn't help my nerves.

"Ah," I simply replied.

"What are you doing right now? Practicing?" he asked.

"No. We're just actually waiting to be called on stage, which is…not so long from now, I suppose." I said, looking at my watch. Not that doing that would actually tell me how much longer until we rock the shit out of everyone.

"Which reminds me, Charlie, we better head over to the audience." Sue said, tugging his elbow. "We're so excited to see you play!"

From the way they were talking, you'd think that I was a seven year old girl who was about to do her first ever piano recital in front of about…a dozen people.

"Um, yeah."

"Can I meet Edward?" Leah asked expectantly just as I was about to lead them all out.

"I…don't know." I replied and tried to stop myself from grimacing. Rosalie chose the moment to intrude on the family moment. "Hey. Bella, go get your guitar. It's time."

I waved goodbye and hurried to the green room. I followed Edward and the rest of New Moon out until we were directly behind the stage. It was completely pitch dark out except for the lights coming from cellphones and cameras held by the crowd.

"You guys ready?" Edward asked as he was handed his mic.

"Hell no." I whispered as usual.

I could tell he was smirking. "Atta girl."

When the cue was given, Emmett, Jasper, and I took our spots on the stage silently. After the drum count, the first loud notes burst forth just as the flames shot out of the stage and Edward plus the rest of us came into view, thus inducing screams from the crowd.

It was a good first show.


	10. Chapter 10

My head was pounding, my shoulder was throbbing and the mark of my guitar strings seemed to be permanently embedded into the pads of my fingers.

Still, I the smile on my face was wide as I yelled at the crowd. Hands nearest the stage tried their best to stretch and grab a hold of my leg as I sprayed everyone within my reach with water from my bottle.

"Thank you so much, Seattle!" Edward's voice rang throughout the wide concert venue. He took the towel hanging from his neck and tossed it to the audience. Of course, everyone was clawing at each other to get it.

I gratefully handed my guitar to a stage hand once we were backstage and proceeded to stretch my back. I tended to hunch forward with the weight of that thing.

"That was awesome!" Jasper wooted though a little out of breath. "Pretty good for the first show."

"Pretty tiring, too." Emmett commented as he laid down on the floor, stretching his aching legs.

"Yeah, well get your shit together. We still have a meet and greet…thing with the fans." Edward informed him before taking a long drink from his water bottle.

Meh. Great. Another meet and greet. Don't get me wrong, I actually like meeting with fans. It's the groupies I really have a problem with.

I mean, really. Boobs hanging everywhere, make up applied ten times, sky high heels and hair so overly done I feel like my hand would burn if I ever touch it by accident. Not to mention their blatant lust for Edward. Well, Emmett and Jasper too, but mostly Edward.

My face contorted to a grimace and I cringed when I remembered that Leah was part of that crowd. Lord, save us all.

A stage hand gave me a towel and a bottle of water while the four of us were led back to the dressing rooms to make ourselves a little more presentable.

"How many bras did you get?" I heard Jasper ask Emmett as he roughly ran the towel through his slightly damp blond locks.

"Five." Emmett replied proudly. "How 'bout you?"

I could practically Jasper's smirk. "Seven. Hah, pay up!"

I turned to face them with a questioning look. "You two wear bras now? What cup size?" I asked, only half joking as I looked at their chests. Jasper was muscular, but he was more on the lanky side while Emmett was bulging, but it wasn't the man boobs kind of bulging. He reminded me of Axel Steel from Guitar Hero.

"What? No. We were talking about how many bras were tossed to us during the concert. Duh." Emmett rolled his eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Well, ex-_cuuuuuse_me for not paying attention to the lingerie being sling shot to the stage.

Well, okay, I may have seen a couple of thongs being aimed at the boys sometimes, but I didn't know they actually picked them up, let alone have a contest on who received the most ones.

"It's a good thing Edward's not part of the bet," Jasper said as Emmett began piling bills on his outstretched palm while muttering something about unfairness. "Otherwise, we'd both have to pay him."

"Hell yeah." Emmett agreed as he placed the last dollar.

Meh. Of course Edward gets a lot of lingerie. He's Edward Cullen! Hell, I'd probably give him _my_underwear…except that's totally gross and whore-ish.

Speaking of Edward, where was he? He was with us just five minutes ago, I thought, as I looked around the room. I contemplated going out to look for him, but then something hit me.

"Are they used?" I asked, suddenly realizing how un-hygienic the whole thing is. "I mean, they can't be, right? That would just be…disgusting."

Jasper sighed. "Bella, Bella, Bella. I understand you're a little underhanded when it comes to sex and shit, but you're a freakin' rock star! Shouldn't you know these things?"

I leveled him a glare. "Well, gee, Jasper. It's not like I have men flinging their boxers at me while I try to play!"

He thought of that for a while. "Hm. Guess not. But that's only because girls' underwear are smaller, so it's easier for them to aim and fire. Boxers would encounter too much wind resistance so it might not even reach the stage. So you never know. There might be a ton of dudes trying to launch their underwear at you but you never received any because they landed somewhere else in the arena."

By the end of his speech, my mouth was gaping and one eyebrow was raised. "How the…is that…that is…that doesn't even make any sense!"

"What doesn't make any sense?" Edward asked as he entered the dressing room.

Emmett shrugged. "Bella just doesn't understand Jasper's physics lesson."

"Physics lesson?" Edward looked at me questioningly. "What?"

I shrugged and rolled my eyes, trying to think of something to cover up what we were talking about. "Jasper was explaining projectile motion."

Edward still looked a little confused and was about to ask more, but I managed to swerve the topic. "Where've you been, by the way?"

He huffed and sat down next to me on the leather sofa. "I've been haggled by fans. It's like they can't wait till the meet and greet."

"Speaking of which, do all of us really have to go?" I whined. The last thing I needed was to get a visual of some sluts hanging over my man.

I mean Edward.

Whatever. Same thing, give or take a few.

"You don't wanna go?" Edward's eyes snapped to mine.

I shook my head. "No. My back still hurts a little, I'm starving plus I never really do anything in those things." Well, it was true. While the three go gallivanting with their wives, girlfriends, or whatevers, I'm stuck in some corner watching everybody else. See? Even in a party where I'm the guest of honor I'm still a wallflower.

"But the press'll be there. We need you for group pictures and shit." Emmett argued as he sat on the chair across me.

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for trying to make me feel useful, but I'm tired." I lied. I was always still pumped until four in the morning during the first concerts in a tour. That being said, I tended to stay in bed a full twenty four hours later.

"Hey grandma, your age is showing." Jasper joked.

I shrugged. Jasper was older than me by four years, but he had a point.

"Aw, come on, Bella," Edward took my hand. "You _have_to come. Please?" With a sigh, I ended up agreeing not only because of the puppy dog eyes he knew I couldn't resist but also because he was still holding my hand.

Camera flashes were the first things that greeted us followed by some shrieks from the lucky bitches who snagged passes for the event. By the time we were fully inside, Emmett and Jasper went their separate ways and I lost Edward somewhere.

Meh. Screw it. I made my way over to the – you guessed it – the table where the food and drinks were being served. So far the only edible things I could see were a couple of those fancy, expensive cheese cube things plus a couple of deviled eggs.

While I snacked on a couple of those, the music blaring overhead changed from some…I dunno what you call that, rave music, I think, to pop shit.

Now with me being a guitarist for a rock band, of course I liked rock and a bunch of other genres related to it. I'm into some classical music as well together with a couple of disco songs but the one genre I can never, ever, _ever_stand is pop. Ridiculously-written, disgusting pop.

"Who changed the music?"I told nobody as a girl's Auto-tuned nasal voice sang about partying with her friends and getting laid. I craned my neck in search of the sound booth in hopes of jacking my iPhone there and playing some proper music.

"You never did like music like this, even in high school eh, Bella?"

I turned around to see James standing there with an amused expression on his face. I grinned at him. "Obviously. What are you doing here, by the way?"

"I attended the concert of course. And I have a backstage pass." He showed me the ID. "Oh, I forgot to commend you on your show. Your special effects were amazing."

"Thanks. Well, they better have been, otherwise the five hour sound check was for nothing." I laughed.

"Five hours? Well, Swan, I'm impressed," James nodded before taking a sip of his drink. He looked around before turning back to me. "Where's your boyfriend, by the way? I thought he'd be around you all night."

"My what?" I clarified, my mouth partially filled with cheese and eggs.

"Cullen. Your boyfriend," he said, his tone betraying some bitterness. The look in his eyes implied it too.

I swallowed and tried to answer coherently. "He's not my boyfriend and he's…uh…well, you know. Around." I gestured vaguely to the empty air next to me with the toothpick that used to hold the cheese.

"Huh. You sure you're not dating? That's what it looked like last time I saw you," he looked down on his drink while I remembered what happened in that Italian restaurant not so long ago.

I decided to just laugh it off. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that I'd be aware if I were dating anyone."

As if on cue, a familiar voice called my name.

"Bella! There you are. I thought I lost you." Edward squeezed his way past a group of people trying to get him to pose for more pictures or some shit.

"What's up," I greeted enthusiastically. Edward looked like he was about to say something else, but then he realized who I was talking to.

"Hey, man," James said with a smile that didn't seem very friendly. Edward returned it with a tight lipped grin and a harsh-sounding "James."

An awkward second passed before Edward tugged on my arm and led me away from him. I managed to mutter a small 'bye.'

"What's up with you?" I asked him when we were a considerable distance away. "We were just talking!"

"I thought you promised to stay clear of him, Bella," Edward sighed, stopping in front of one of the black leather sofas and plopping down.

"And I thought you said I could handle my own relationships, which I could," I placed my hands on my hips. It was kinda annoying that he would bring this up again, but I had to admit, Possessiveward was hot as hell.

He was silent for a while before he rubbed his face and ran a hand through his hair. "You're right, I'm sorry. It's just that…the way he was looking at you." He shook his head.

I took a deep breath before sitting next to him. "It's alright. Your possessive side's pretty hot." My eyes widened and I resisted the urge to do a facepalm, or hell, a headtable when I realized what I just said.

Edward turned to give me one of his panty-dropping smirks. "Is that so," he murmured, scooting closer.

Despite the dim lights, I was willing to bet that my blush was so obvious. Before either of us could say anything, someone decided to ruin the moment.

"Oh God, it's Edward Cullen!"

Both our heads snapped to see Jane Varner and a couple of her giggling friends watching us. Or well, Edward.

Edward looked as irritated as I was for a brief moment before he smiled at them weakly.

"Ehmahgawed, we are like, so totally your biggest fans!" she shrieked.

Like I haven't heard _that_one before.

And what is up with bitchy girls and all the 'ehmahgawed' shit? Can't they just say oh my gosh like every other sane person on the planet?

"Oh darn, I don't have any paper with me, but can you sign this instead?" Jane asked innocently as she exposed her already exposed cleavage more.

Well, it was obvious that she didn't get her brains, manners, or conservativeness from her father.

I stood up and walked away before I could hear Edward's response. That was just disgusting.

I picked up a random drink from one of the circulating waiters and downed it with one gulp. It tasted horrible, but I didn't give a shit. To be honest, I didn't drink much apart from the occasional champagne, but eh.

After drinking about seven more of those, I bumped into Charlie and Sue, who looked less than sober as she hung onto my dad's arm.

"Having fun?" I asked them, feeling a little drunk.

"Bella!" Charlie exclaimed when he spotted me. "Your concert was amazing. I don't think I've ever seen a fuller place. Of course we had fun." Sue mumbled something incoherent beside him. "I think Sue had a little _too_ much fun, though."

I laughed, half planning on having that much fun too.

"Have you seen Leah, by the way? I've been trying to call her but she won't pick up."

I shrugged. "Eh. I dunno. Probably getting her boobs signed with the other sluts." I said bitterly.

Charlie's eyes widened. "She's _what?"_

"Nah, I'm just messing with you. I haven't seen her since you brought her backstage before the concert." I looked around the hoards of people around us like that would do any good.

"Well, when you see her, tell her to meet us at the car. I have to take Sue home." He tightened his hold on her as her body began to slip.

"Alright." I nodded and waved goodbye as they exited.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depends on how you look at it) I didn't see Leah anywhere. But that was probably because I stayed clear of Edward. Just the thought of the sluts hanging around him is traumatizing enough, thank you very much.

Still, temptation won over a couple of times and I snuck a few glances his way. Oh yeah, he was definitely surrounded by some t and a.

Meh. Sometimes I wondered if that was Edward's type. You know, the big boobs and the tanned legs. I looked down at my own rack and couldn't find anything special with it. And I was just pale all over no matter how long I stayed under the sun.

Oh insecurities, you bitch.

I sighed and continued to watch the love of my life from afar. Man, did I feel pathetic. In a brief moment, he was clear of hoochies and I took the opportunity to sit next to him again.

Heh, poor Edward. He looked tired as he rubbed his face then ran his hand through his hair.

"You holdin' out alright?" I asked.

"Oh thank God. A girl who's wearing clothes!" he suddenly threw his arms around me and buried his face in my neck. I blushed deeply and chuckled nervously before running my hands through his hair.

"Was it really that bad?"

"You have no idea. As soon as the fake tits leave my vision, a new pair comes along! I haven't left this spot for what seems like hours!"

"Perks of being a rock star," I said with a grin as I gently scratched his scalp with my blunt fingernails.

"Mm, that feels nice," he practically hummed in appreciation and my face grew redder. I bet he could feel the heat radiating from my neck. "Keep that up and I'll fall asleep."

My hands automatically froze. "Do you want me to stop?"

Edward's face stayed at my neck a few moments more before he pulled away and left me feeling empty. "No, but I don't think this would be a good place for me to crash. Lord knows what these girls would do to me in my sleep." He cringed.

I was doing a happy dance internally at how he despised the groupie action as much as I did, but externally, I just smiled. "Don't worry. I'll beat the skeevies away with my sneakers."

Edward's returning smile was hypnotizing. "Thanks. I might hold you to tha-"

"Mr. Cullen, we meet again."

Aw, great. Another slut cometh.

I turned, expecting to see groupie number 6542, but instead I was confronted with a familiar face.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Edward asked, sounding a little pissed. He wasn't being rude; the genuinely confused look on his face said that he just really did not know the chick.

"Oh, darling, it's me! Tanya Gonzales. We met on the flight going to New York." Ah, so it was Blondie. I stopped glaring at her for a second and scanned the room for Emmett. Maybe he'd like to meet her. Hah, I'd _love_to see Rosalie react.

"Tanya…" Edward had his thinking face on. "Sorry, but I don't really remember a Tanya. Do you know her, Bells?" he turned to me.

I looked at her from head to foot with my lips pursed then I shrugged. "Sure. She's that girl Emmett used to look at in the Victoria's Secret catalogue."

"That's right, darling. Tanya Gonzales, Victoria's Secret angel." Blondie reintroduced herself and smiled at Edward seductively.

Well, if she was expecting Edward to worship the ground she walked on because she could don skimpy articles of clothing with heels and some wings, she had another thing coming.

"Wait, she actually models lingerie from that trashy place?"

Tanya's face fell as Edward began to laugh. "And Emmett knows her? This is just…convenient! Let's go find Emmett and see how Rosalie reacts. This could be better than him admitting that he had a crush on Megan Fox!"

Great minds _do_think alike.

Blondie regained her semblance and gave a tight lipped smile before sitting next to him. "Are you sure you don't remember me from the plane? As I recall, we had a _pretty great_time together." If she didn't have some sort of a hidden implication in her tone, I don't know what did.

But Edward wasn't paying attention anymore. Instead, he grabbed my hand and stood up. "Let's go dance. I've been stuck on this sofa practically all night. I need to stretch my legs."

I allowed him to pull me up and lead me away from a shock-faced Tanya but I did not hesitate to remind him about my clumsiness. "Um, Edward, I don't really have the best coordination in the world, so unless you want someone to get hurt, I don't think this is a very good idea."

He chuckled. "Relax. I can redeem your horrible balance."

Before I could protest any further, he pulled me against his chest and brought both my hands around his neck. As if obeying some sort of standard operating procedure whenever Edward was near, my body reacted immediately. A blush reddened my face and neck and my heart beat doubled in speed.

We swayed in time with the music which thankfully wasn't as horrible as those I had been hearing earlier. Being in Edward's arms felt so natural and so right for me. I wondered if he felt the same way. Well, I hope he did.

All too soon, Rosalie demanded that we call it a night since we were leaving for Houston early the next morning. While I felt like complaining, Emmett and Jasper seemed to have no contests as they were both pretty tired.

I planned on spending the night thinking about Edward's arms around me but it looked like I didn't have to since Edward asked if he could come in my room.

"What's up?" I asked when we were inside and I struggled to get my shoes off. Damn high cut Converse. Longer laces, more holes, more hassle.

"I just…wanted to say thank you." He said quietly with a small smile on his handsome face.

I stopped trying to untie my shoes and looked at him. "For what?"

"For…you know, earlier. For rescuing me from Sonja, or whatever her name was."

"Um, you're welcome, I guess, but I didn't do anything."

"You distracted me."

"Uh…how?"

"By dancing with me."

"Hey, you were the one who asked me to dance with you without even thinking of my possible victims on the dance floor."

"You didn't hurt anyone, and besides, the point is is that…you _agreed_to dance with me. It was the perfect way out of another disgusting situation."

I stared at him for a while before smiling. "Well, I'm…glad I can help."

He gave me a small smile again before coming closer. "Thank you," he whispered in my ear and I shivered as he kissed me on the cheek.

"You know, you can tell me if you want to just keep sleeping in Bella's room. Would save us some money," Rosalie suddenly came out of nowhere as she stood in the doorway of my open hotel room.

"Rose, th-"

"No need to explain, Edward. I'll just keep it I mind when we check into the next hotel. And be sure to close this door at all times, alright? Only heaven knows what kind of things people might see." She gave us a big, teasing grin before closing the door and walking away.

Edward sighed before turning back to me. "I guess this is my cue to leave?"

"No!" I answered automatically. I cleared my throat and tried again. "I mean, you can stay, you know, if you want. I wouldn't mind. I mean you _have_ been coming over for the past few nights and I didn't mind them…I mean-"

I shut myself up before I could babble further.

Edward just chuckled and gave a simple "alright."

Once again, I had Edward Cullen in my bed. As green as that sounded, everything was kept really PG 13. We just watched TV for the most part and then there was the occasional joke sometimes, but we didn't do any of the things I really wanted to do. Le sigh.

At around three in the morning, the concert, the groupies and the late nights began to _really_take a toll on Edward. Not even my endless stream of caffeine courtesy of Coke could keep him up. He was resting against my pillow as his eyes drooped.

Pretty soon, he was out like a light. I watched his sleeping form for a few moments before turning the TV off and scooting towards him. He looked so much younger while was resting. I couldn't help myself as I reached over and tentatively ran my hands through his soft hair.

I remembered how he said he liked it when I scratched his scalp so I did just that. At first, I thought he couldn't feel it, but the appreciative purrs and mumbles coming from his lips said otherwise. I smiled as I laid down next to him, never breaking contact with his hair until I fell asleep.

I hate the hotel wake up service. Did I ever mention that?

I was pissy and annoyed as I began to get up and turn the damn phone off. But that wasn't really possible since Edward's arms had managed to snake their way around me sometime in the night.

"Bella, I know you're awake. Hurry and get your ass up! We're on a tight schedule here!" Rosalie's voice suddenly replaced the shrill ringing. "You too, Edward. I know you're in there. Now up, up, up! I need you two in breakfast in exactly one hour or I'm coming to get you myself."

Edward and I groaned at the same time. He let go of me – much to my disappointment – and stretched before giving a jaw splitting yawn. "Dammit. What time is it?"

I rubbed my eyes and squinted at my watch. "Six." I replied. "Meh. Is the breakfast buffet even open at this time?"

I slowly stretched my legs and stumbled out of bed. I looked over at Edward who was looking at his hair in the mirror.

"What the hell happened to this thing?" he asked his reflection as his hair attempted to tame his bronze locks which were more chaotic than usual.

I blushed as I remembered I did last night. "Uh…that kinda, may be, sorta, my fault."

"It looks like I had sex or something," he continued to mutter, not seeming to hear me. "What…" then my words finally sank in. He turned abruptly with an expression of panic on his face. "You…did we…?"

I understood what he meant to say immediately. "No! No, of course not. It's just that…well, you mentioned last night…at the party, I mean, that you like it when I…scratch your scalp," I paused and scratched my own roughly, feeling idiotic. "So, I, uh, did…that when you were falling asleep."

Edward stood there silently for a while before giving a sigh of relief. "Oh. That's good," he breathed out and a smile dominated his face.

"Yeah." I said quietly.

"We better get ready. We have an hour to meet Rosalie and the others."

We descended to the breakfast buffet together. Despite his amiable chatter, I couldn't help how hurt I felt deep inside. Was he really that repulsed by the idea of sleeping with me?

Ignoring the gnawing feeling that was eating me, I plastered a small smile on my face as we met others who already had platefuls of eggs, bacon, hash browns, pancakes and every single breakfast meal there was in front of them.

Soon, we were back on the road. The shows for the North America part of the tour went by and before I knew it, we were in New York for the final performance on this leg of the tour.

"Ah, back to the Big Apple!" Emmett greeted cheerily as he stepped off of the tour bus and into the hotel. "Been a while since we've been here, eh?"

"Yeah," I agreed. "Which reminds me, we still have that _GQ_ vampire thingymahooie right?"

"Oh, yeah, the interview," he said. "Heh. I wonder if she had meditated enough on that shit to actually print it already. It's been months since we had that shoot!"

We were all hanging in the lobby when Rosalie gave us our room assignments. "We're at the seventeenth floor," she said.

"Uh, I think you're forgetting another key," I pointed out as I looked at all the cards everyone was holding. "Where's mine?"

"Oh yeah," Rosalie pursed her lips for a while. "No worries. I'll request for a copy later. You and Edward can share his for now."

My eyes widened. "Share what?"

"The key," her tone slowed down as if to match my thinking pace.

"I understood _that,_but why?"

"You're sharing a room," Rose replied nonchalantly.

"What? Why?" I very nearly shouted.

"Well, I figured it would be more economical since Edward keeps coming over your room anyway," she shrugged. "So by setting you two up in just one hotel room, Edward doesn't have to tire himself and we get more cash at the end of the day. It's a win-win situation."

"I don't mind," Edward said from one of the sofas.

"Erm, alright then," I finally conceded, my heart beating twice as fast.

Emmett and Jasper shared teasing looks before bursting out laughing. Some of the guests were now looking our way but thankfully, no one inside really recognized us.

"Oooooh, someone's gonna get some lovin' tonight!" Emmett bumped my shoulder with his. Jasper simple gave me a malicious grin before following Rosalie and one of the hotel employees to the elevator.

My face was as red as a tomato by the time the whole encounter was finished.

"You sure this is okay?" I clarified as Edward and I walked together towards our room.

He shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, this doesn't really make this different from what we've been doing before, except now I can save the hassle of having to go to my room to change and shit." He gave me his panty-dropping lopsided grin and I almost dropped to my knees.

"How many beds did you think Rosalie put in here?" I asked as one of the staff opened the room for us.

"Knowing her, probably – " the door opened. "One."

True enough, there was one big king size bed in there. I sighed and sat down on the sofa. "So what kind of system do you want to work out here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know, who gets to shower first, et cetera, et cetera. I mean, I shower at night sometimes, so…"

"Anything's cool with me," he said with an easy smile. "I have to warn you though, since we are now officially sharing a bed,"

"What?" I asked, trying to ignore the way my breathing changed when he said that.

"I know that I've been sleeping in my regular clothes when I come to your room in the past, but in reality, I tend to sleep shirtless."

Lord. Have. Mercy.


	11. Chapter 11

"Uh…really?" I said, trying to control my suddenly shallow breathing.

He blinked and looked right back at me. "Yeah…is that okay?"

Oho, that was _more_than okay, but instead of saying that and sounding like a perverted fan, I did my best to act nonchalant and said "Yeah, it's fine."

I moved to the kitchenette where the fridge was stocked to the brim with Coke per my request and candy filled the counter. I opened the plastic container of gummy worms and began chewing on a couple before opening a can of my favorite soda.

Edward was unpacking some of his things while I watched from one of the overstuffed chairs. I never really unpacked my bags unless we were staying for more than two days.

"What about you?" he asked while his back was turned.

"What about me?"

"Do you sleep in something I should know about?" he turned to face me this time.

"Like…?"

"I dunno. Lacey underwear or lingerie or something?"

I literally choked on my drink and dropped my handful of worms to the carpeted floor. Did he just ask if I slept in bra and panties? _Lacey_bra and panties?I coughed and gripped the Coke can for dear life.

"Bella! Are you okay?" Edward was quick to come to my side, gently patting my back.

"Fine," I coughed, my voice croaking and very rough. I could feel the soda dripping from my nose and my throat felt…scratchy, if that was even the proper description.

"I'm sorry, was that question inappropriate?" I looked up at him and he smiled apologetically before sighing. "I am such a dick."

I coughed again and shook my head. "Nah," I wiped my nose with my sleeve. Gross, but whoever said I was lady like? "You're not. And I sleep in pajamas and Star Wars shirts, by the way."

He chuckled and I wiped my nose again. He noticed this time and handed me a box of tissues from the nearby table. "Thanks," I gave him a brief smile before trying to clean my sinuses.

"I ruined your shirt," Edward said suddenly and I looked down to see my MCR Killjoy shirt stained.

"And your jeans, too," he nodded towards my lap where there was a dark stain as well. I sniffed and shrugged. "It's fine, Edward. Not like these things are dry clean only or some shit," I said then took more tissues to uselessly dab at the marks.

"Let me help," he said quietly. I began to protest, but his hands were already at my chest, gently pressing into the brown stain in the middle of my white shirt.

My breathing picked up again. For sure, he could feel my heart pounding underneath his touch. Slowly, his hands began to move from just below my collarbone to the center of my…

"Yo, Eds! Bella! We need t-" Emmett stopped talking as soon as he saw us. I couldn't understand what his speechlessness was about – he was Emmett; he _never_stopped talking – until I realized what we looked like.

Edward was kneeling in front of me with his hand…basically right in the middle of my boobs. His other was on my lap and I was doing nothing to hold him back.

Basically, it looked a lot like he was feeling me up.

Edward withdrew immediately and I stood up and continued dabbing on my stained shirt.

"Why is it that whenever I walk in here, you two are getting it on?" he had his sexual innuendo face on and he crossed his arms over his muscular chest. "Do you _like_ having sex with an audience? Because Rosie and I are actually –"

"Don't you _dare_finish that sentence," I glared at him.

He held his hands up in surrender. "Aight, I'll shut up, but I'm just saying. Whenever you two are in the middle of some hanky panky, be sure to lock the door. As much as I'd love to see you do the horizontal mambo, I'd rather do it when Rosalie's with me."

Edward sighed. "Locked doors haven't been a problem for you to break the code of privacy, now has it?" he gestured towards the extra set of keys in Emmett's hands.

"Oho, so you _do_admit that you two were doing some foreplay action."

"What? No! He was helping me get the stain off my shirt!" I rubbed the tissue into the fabric a little too much. "See?"

"Mm-hm, I'm sure he was," Emmett continued to waggle his eyebrows.

"What do you want, Emmett?" Edward leveled him an exasperated look.

"Oh yeah. Uh, Rosalie said to meet us in the restaurant across the street for lunch, then we're heading to _GQ_for the interview."

"Fine. Now leave!"

"Okay, okay! Oh, and word of advice, Edward, that shit feels much better when your hands are _under_the shirt. Course it would be even better if it was under the bra and it was your tongue that's–"

I slammed the door in his face so loudly, I think the entire floor heard. I was blushing so hard and I was so embarrassed I couldn't really look at Edward in the eye.

"Er….yeah," I said lamely, still barricading the door with my body in case Emmett decides to give more sex advice. Not that I could actually physically stop him from bringing the door down.

Edward chuckled before turning back to his bag. I huffed a breath then looked out the window. We were pretty high up and I had a good view of what was going on in downtown New York. It was almost lunch time and traffic was pretty heavy, but it wasn't too bad. We were already nearing the end of the year so the weather was getting chilly.

After about half an hour of getting ready, Edward and I left for lunch together. A couple of people recognized us in the hallway, but thankfully, they were actual fans who cared for the music and not the physical appearances.

"You should've worn actual gloves. Those things won't cover anything!" Edward looked at my leather fingerless gloves as we rode the elevator.

"Please, these things are really warm," I said, strapping one off and turning it inside out. "See?" though the outside was leather, the inside was made of some fabric that absorbed and reflected heat. I was no Alice so I wasn't really sure of what material it was, but it was good material none the less.

We were at the lobby and out the door not too soon after.

"I'm not buying that," Edward muttered. "Look at your fingers, they're snow white!"

I looked at the exposed skin of my hand and to be fair, my hands really were white. "Edward, I realize that my hands are as pale as ghosts, but that's how the rest of my skin looks like! Hell, I could probably pull off Snow White even without the makeup."

"You're not cold?" he clarified. I sighed and nodded. If he weren't so damn hot while being concerned, I would've been seriously annoyed.

We crossed the street with thankfully no paparazzi (we were usually experts at keeping our hotel location secret) and entered the restaurant directly in front of us. We spotted the rest of the gang seated in one of the more secluded areas with Peter and his undying camera.

"Hey. We already ordered for you, by the way," Rosalie said the minute we sat down. "I hope you like steak,"

"Who _doesn't_like steak?" I asked and Emmett gave a loud "Amen to that, sistah!"

Peter had the camera rolling again while we engaged in our normal banter. The food arrived not too soon after and I dug in. I tackled that steak like it was my last meal. Well, I treated all my meals like it was my last but…well you get the point. Halfway through, I noticed Edward staring at me.

"What?" I asked, feeling self conscious. Maybe I had gravy or something somewhere on my cheek.

"Nothing. It's just…are you really _that_hungry?"

I snorted. "Must I remind you that I'm _always_this hungry? It just doesn't show is all." I patted my flat (or at least _I_thought of it as flat) stomach with a smirk.

Edward chuckled and went back to his own meal. Of course Peter was shooting the whole time.

"Right. Now that you're all full," I raised an eyebrow as I tackled my fifth chocolate cake for the day. "Okay, now that _most_of you are full, it's time to get down to business." Rosalie got out her iPad. "As well all know, we're going to be heading to South America after this. We're going to stick around there for about three weeks, or maybe even more so I believe we have to discuss a certain celebration."

Everyone turned to smile at me, and quite frankly, I couldn't get it.

"Christmas?" I asked, then thought better of it then said. "No, wait, Christmas is too far, isn't it. Something closer…Thanksgiving then." They all looked like they were holding back laughter. "Halloween?" I tried again.

"I'll give you a hint. It's someone's birthday." Rosalie smirked.

"Peter?" I guessed. As far as I could remember, everyone's birthdays dominated the earlier months of the year. And besides, Peter's was the only one I didn't know.

"Bella," Edward dazzled me with his grin. "Who was born on September?"

I looked around and tried to think. "I dunno. Someone important?"

"Of course she's important. She's you!"

I scratched my head, trying to recall any sort of calendar. "Really? It's September already?"

Jasper laughed. "How old are you now, twenty five? And you have the memory of a sixty year old!" he and Emmett gave audible high fives and continued with the guffaw-fest.

"Well, sow-ree. I don't pay attention to calendars. All I know is, when it starts getting cold and the snow starts to fall, it's almost Christmas. That's the only holiday that matters anyway,"

"So I was thinking we can throw a party. We'd be in –"

"Nein. No parties." I interrupted immediately. "You are welcome to give the queen gifts, though."

Rosalie sighed. "How about dinner then? Just us and Peter of course. He can't miss the special celebration," she smiled and patted Peter on the back.

I shrugged. "Sure. As long as it isn't some fancy schmancy place where I have to wear heels and a dress."

She sighed again. "When, oh, when are you going to start acting like a girl?"

"I like Tomboy Bella," Edward defended. "She's awesome, doesn't complain about how doing something would ruin her nails or some shit, has natural beauty and most importantly, low maintenance,"

"Are you suggesting that _I'm_high maintenance, Cullen?" Rosalie bitched. Edward shrugged. "Your words, not mine."

He turned to me and gave me a sly wink. My body followed the usual SOP and I think I fell even more in love with him. He thinks I'm awesome and pretty.

Aw, shucks. Edward Cullen called me purdy!

"Haven't all your girlfriends been like that, Cullen?" Rosalie was still pretty mad about the whole low maintenance thing.

"Exactly why they didn't last," Edward muttered before running a hand through his hair.

Well, then, doesn't that mean that _I'd_last as his girlfriend? Meh. Sometimes, I wonder if I ever think too much.

The _GQ_interview only took about an hour and our next interview or fan whatever wasn't until the next day so we were pretty much left on our own for the rest of the day. Emmett and Jasper wanted to explore the city but I just really wanted to stay in my room and do nothing. Yes, I was lazy and yes I was a slob. Not like I had a boyfriend to complain about that, anyway.

However, I did have a roommate who had a thing or two to say about that.

"Don't you want to go around the city?" Edward asked as I flopped on our shared bed and began flipping through the channels.

"Nah. I'm too lazy," I replied. "When there's nothing good on TV, then we can talk."

He sighed and sat down next to me before taking his shoes off and joining me in bed. Hehe. Joining me in bed. Man, that could have so many meanings…

"Aren't you going out?" I snapped out of my perverted reverie and eyed him. He gave a very Bella response. "Meh. I don't feel like it."

I chuckled and went back to channel surfing. I finally settled on AXN for a little _Wipe Out._Man, did I love that show. Everyone looked so damn pathetic falling down or getting punched and it was very entertaining.

Only the sounds of our laughter filled the room with occasional comments on how the contestant should've gone through the course for a while. When the show finally ended, I went back to looking for a good channel.

Maybe Spongebob was on. I didn't know where Nickelodeon was on the hotel TV so I settled with just moving up and down channels.

"Bella, why don't you have a boyfriend?"

My hand froze on the remote and I sat up before looking at Edward with a weird expression.

"What?"

"Why don't you have a boyfriend?"

His eyes were doing that smoldering thing again and they demanded that I answered. Meh. I had to learn how to do that. I could get Jake to finally do laundry if I knew how to.

Edward shrugged when I continued not to say anything. "It's just… I mean you're beautiful, you're successful, and you're really funny. Why won't you date anyone?"

"I actually already have a boyfriend," I said.

He looked at me with a confused look. "Really?"

"Yeah. His name's Gibson,"

"Gibson. Gibson who? Do I know him?"

"Sure. For a pretty long time now too,"

He was looking at me incredulously now. Edward remained silent, so I continued my yammering.

"I like him. He's the perfect boyfriend. I can make him scream for as long as I want, then when he's spent and I'm through with him, I can put him away in a corner until I feel like playing him again. Plus he has no complains about me pulling his strings."

"What?" Edward's look of surprise was hilarious. Dammit, where was my camera? This shit is gold!

"Uhuh," I had to fight to control my laughter. "You wanna see him right now?"

"You…you…what the hell? He's here?"

"Yep," I popped my lip at the 'p.' "Wait here and amma go get 'em,"

I got up from the bed and dug through my pile of luggage before finding Gibson and tossing him on the mattress. "Edward, meet my boyfriend Gibson. Gibson Les Paul."

A pillow hit my face as soon as I opened my mouth to laugh.

"Hardy-har har, Swan. You're a fucking riot, you know that?"

"Man, you should've seen the look on your face," I was clutching my stomach from laughter overload by then. "Who knew Edward Cullen was so gullible!"

By the time my hysteria had died down a tad, I was curled up on the floor wheezing my breaths while my arms continued to be wrapped around my poor stomach.

"Are you done?" Edward's tone was not amused as he watched my form from the bed with a raised eyebrow.

"Gimme a couple more seconds," I waited until my breathing came back to normal somewhat and the cramps had fully subsided before getting up and plopping back on the bed. "_Now_I'm done."

"I bet you are," he mumbled.

Edward must've learned his lesson to not question my love life anymore since the topic never resurfaced the rest of the day. Well, aside from him threatening to burn Gibson if I ever told Emmett and Jasper about his panic fit. The look in his eyes made it clear that he wasn't bluffing.

We decided to make it an official lazy day and just order in room service for dinner. As usual, I ordered three quarters of the menu while Edward muttered something about never getting used to my black hole of a stomach. Well, it wasn't my fault it was always feeling empty. It was better than how his old sluts used ate, anyway. If you even call that eating.

"_A Walk to Remember?_Can't we watch something less…I dunno. Shitty?"

Both me and Edward were buzzed thanks to my red-canned friends. I wanted to watch a movie so at two thirty-two AM, the two of us were on the bed watching Mandy Moore and whatshisface be ridiculously sappy and shit.

"Heh. Sorry. Forgot you weren't a chick," Edward smirked as he changed the channel to HBO which was playing _Indiana Jones._

"Now _that_is much better," I approved, leaning back against the pillows.

He chuckled and we continued to watch in silence for a while. After about thirty minutes, the caffeine was starting to disintegrate in my system. I yawned loudly and rubbed my eyes. "Meh. I'm calling it a night," I declared, forcing myself to get up and prepare for bed.

"Coke finally wearing down?"

I yawned again. "You have no idea. You still watching?"

He thought about it for a moment then stood up and said "Nah. I'll probably go to sleep as well. We still have a bunch of shit to do tomorrow and I don't think I can handle being around people when I'm sleep-deprived."

"Amen to that," I agreed, making my way to the bathroom then stopping halfway. "You don't mind if I go in first, do you?"

"Why, Bella, I'm shocked you think of me as less of a gentleman. Ladies first, of course," he gave me a dazzling smile and even in my drowsy state, I was stunned by him.

"I won't be long," I promised before shutting the door. And I wasn't. After a ten minute shower, I changed into my pajamas and brushed my teeth. I was done five minutes later.

I stepped out of the bathroom, yawning again, as I combed my still wet hair. Edward was sitting at the edge of the bed, still watching TV, until I caught his attention. He looked over me from head to toe and gave an approving nod. "Nice,"

I blushed. "Uh, thanks."

"I mean it. Darth Vader looks good on you," he said, gesturing to the black figure on my shirt. I grinned at him before climbing into bed. Edward smiled back before taking his turn.

I was ready to fall asleep not too long after until I heard the bathroom door open again. My brain was bitching at me to just go to sleep already, but I couldn't help but feel awake as soon as I saw who emerged.

Running a hand through his unruly bronze hair, Edward made his way to his side of the bed. Shirtless.

Freaking. Shirt. Less.

Lord help me now.

His chest was incredible! I mean, I've seen it before in pictures and shit from some individual photoshoots, but not the real deal. His six pack looked a hell of a lot better in real life and he looked so delicious, I had to resist the urge to just lick him up.

I gazed over his naked upper half a few more seconds before meeting his eyes. He had one eyebrow raised and his mouth was quirked teasingly. "Like what you see?" he asked, turning the comforter at his side down and climbing in.

"Hell yeah," I blurted before I could process what I was thinking. I blushed and tried to bury my face into the pillow.

I felt Edward's laugh shake the bed. "That's good. We're even now,"

"What?"

"We're even. I got to see your lovely upper half and now you get to see mine," he turned so that he was facing me, a smirk gracing his lips.

I groaned and adjusted my position so that my back was to him. I bet he could feel my blush through the damn sheets. "Goodnight, Edward,"

"Night, beautiful," he mumbled before yawning and – I assumed – falling asleep.

Though I felt like I could sleep for years about five minutes ago, my drowsiness suddenly disappeared. I guess it had something to do with the gorgeous half naked man I loved who was mere inches from me. In bed. Shirtless.

Man, I am _never_ going to get over that.

I sighed and laid on my back, staring at the ceiling wallpaper. After I got bored out of my wits looking at the flower pattern, I turned my head and looked at Edward. His angel face was turned to me and he looked at peace.

Tentatively, I let my hand cross the gap between us and held on to his hand, my fingers weaving through his. I didn't know why I did it, but I just needed some sort of physical contact.

Edward mumbled low incoherencies in his sleep before his hand tighten around mine and he quieted down again. Before I knew it, I was asleep as well.

The last thing I felt last night was Edward's hand holding mine.

The first thing I heard the next morning was his groan.

And the vibrations his chest emanated from under my head.

My head snapped up immediately. Sometime in the middle of the night, I must've crawled over to his side of the bed and cuddled. I mean, there had to be some sort of explanation for why my head was on his chest and his arms were around me.

"Dammit," he grumbled, reaching out with one arm to shut the alarm off. It went back to its place around my waist. Edward must have noticed where it was because he was staring at me with wide eyes.

I quickly disentangled myself from him (though it was very hard to do) and scooted back to my side of the bed.

"I, erm…yeah. Sorry. I didn't mean to…yeah, but I guess last night I just…I mean, that was…"

"Bella, it's fine," he cut me off before yawning. "Just didn't expect you to be a cuddler," he slowly stretched his legs to the side of the bed and stretched, his back muscles becoming more pronounced in the process.

I think I started drooling. I shut my mouth for fear of having slobber over the bed.

"Heh. Yeah…well," I didn't know how to finish that so I got up and got ready for the day instead.

We made our way to Madison Square Garden for our sound check. Man, was the place huge. I looked like an awestruck tourist as I looked around the wide arena with my mouth open. Of course Peter was there to catch my moment of ignorance.

"Are you nervous about the concert?" he asked, his lens aimed at my face.

I chuckled. "I'm going to have to answer that tomorrow. I mean, I never get nerves until probably the prepping in the green room before the show."

"You worried about anything going wrong?"

"Well, there's the fear of all the pyro and shit going haywire or some technical difficulties with the special effects and stuff, but I trust our crew to do their job right. So…yeah."

Sound check didn't take as long as our first one this time since we already had the hang of working with the effects from the previous concerts. We were finished after about just two hours.

After the sound check, we were taken to some malls for photo ops with fans. It wasn't really that exhausting to pose and smirk but with the entire human population waiting in line for a picture with us, I was feeling weaker each time the camera flashed.

Our arrangement was always the same. Edward and Emmett stayed at the left side while Jasper stood beside me on the right. The fan was usually at the middle with his/her arms around me and Edward.

Most of them were pretty harmless and were just high that they were finally meeting us, but others were just…personal space invaders.

Heh. Poor Edward. I felt sorry for the man. Instead of being sane people and just standing with us, some girls would squish Edward in a tight hug with their heads on his chest while squealing. Edward looked beyond uncomfortable and tried his best not to look awkward since he wasn't hugging them back.

"Meh. How many more of them are there?" I asked, looking at the line that seemed to stretch out to infinity when we were allowed a five minute break to catch up on some caffeine.

Jasper looked over the hoard as well. "I don't know, but we've been doing this for about an hour and a half now. Surely, we must be getting close to finish." He looked at his watch. "Dammit. I told Alice I'd check up on her half an hour from now."

"Speaking of whom, how is she? I mean I know that with the pregnancy and all, she's being…difficult, but I haven't spoken to her in a pretty long time."

Jasper chuckled. "Yeah. My son's definitely taking a toll on her, but for the most part she's holding out okay. Her mood swings are pretty terrible though and she's…well, according to Marlene she'll only talk to me." He laughed again. "As for the others, the only interaction they seem to have is when she's pestering them with all her hormones."

I gave a short laugh. "Ouch."

"Yeah. So don't take it personally that she's not calling you. Trust me, it's better for you that way."

After what seemed to be just a second, the line got moving again. A red headed dude was the next person in line.

Okay, I'll admit that I thought the girls could do the worst personal space invading, but shit was I wrong. Apparently, men can do a hell of a lot worse.

Ginger decided that I deserved an eye fuck as he made his way over to us. I couldn't miss the way he was licking his lips as his eyes glazed over my body.

Edward noticed the saucy looks I was being given and in an instant, Protectiveward was back. He growled lowly and glared at the dude who shrunk back a little, but didn't really deter from violating me with his eyes.

"Wait, can we change positions?" Edward called out before Ginger was in range for the picture. "I…Bella, can you and Emmett switch places?"

I nodded and quickly flitted to his side. His right arm snaked around my waist and held me close to his side as the dude got in his place and the camera flashed. He looked disappointed that I wasn't positioned next to him anymore, but he didn't voice out any complains.

The rest of the boys in line didn't make any suggestive actions or looks at me either because they just really didn't want to or because they knew better than to mess with Edward unlike Ginger.

None of us discussed what happened on the way back to the hotel. I guess it was a bit of an awkward topic. Still, after everyone had gone to their respective rooms, I took a bold move and kissed Edward on the cheek after giving him a whispered thanks for what he did.

He grinned a little too tightly to be relaxed. "No problem. Glad to be of service,"

"Do you think they'll make a big deal out of that? I mean, the media was there and I'm pretty sure they saw how you scared the dude,"

Edward shrugged dismissively. "I don't care. The way he was looking at you was beyond inappropriate and if I could do it to Mike Newton, I'm pretty sure I can do it to him too."

We settled into bed minutes later since we were both tired and sleep deprivation wasn't a good option before the night of the concert.

Though the bed was king sized, I confined myself to the very edge of my side. I was afraid that sometime in the middle of the night, I might creep over to Edward's side and molest him in his sleep again. I didn't think he'd appreciate that considering what some fans did to him earlier.

A few moments passed in the dark with me stiff as a board in one side. Edward must have noticed my lack of movement because through the lights streaming from the window, I saw his face turn to me.

"Bella, what are you doing there? There's enough room for both of us you know. And you might fall and hurt your back again."

Huh. Forget all about that. "Um, well, considering…you know, last night and what happened during the photo op, I didn't think you'd want me to...or that you'd want to wake up with me strangling you or something."

Edward sighed then lifted the blanket covering us. His arms wound quickly around my waist then pulled me across the bed so that his arms were around me and my head rested on his chest.

"I told you before that I didn't mind," he murmured, stroking my hair. "And I can hardly call what you did to me as strangulation. Not since I liked it."

I blushed. "You did?"

"Yeah. You're really warm and soft," I felt his nose at my scalp, inhaling. "You smell good, too."

He laid a gentle kiss on my forehead before murmuring "goodnight, Bella," then drifting off. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep either.

I had never felt so content in my life.


	12. Chapter 12

The thing about having siblings that were born just a few years behind you is that you become pretty close. You can often tell when the other one's in pain or in trouble.

And when he's lying.

"I swear to God, Bella. The thing went beserk by itself!"

"Mm-hm," I retorted, my bitch face on as I listened to brother dearest tell me about my broken stove. That was some expensive shit, man! It's even worth more than some of my guitars!

"It's true! It wasn't my fault! The gas thingy just started making noises and then before I knew it, the pot was flying off the rack and I was almost burned by the stew!"

"Jacob, what the hell were you doing in the kitchen cooking, anyway?" I asked, running a hand through my hair. "Since when do you _ever_go near a stove aside from to look if the food's ready?"

His tone went from defensive to sheepish. "I…was cooking dinner."

I snorted. "Couldn't you just have ordered out or asked Ness to do it for you? She makes excellent lasagna."

"No," he mumbled. "I wanted to cook for her."

"Sweet joebas, Jacob. You actually _wanted_to cook? I thought the world wasn't supposed to end till December 2012."

"I, um, I was going to propose."

If he was aiming to shut up my sarcastic mouth, it worked.

He was going to propose? As in with the ring and the romance and the wedding and shit?

"Yes, all that shit, Bella,"

I scratched my head when I realized I said those out loud. "Erm, yeah. Really, Jake? You want her to marry you?"

"Yeah," I could hear him shrug. "I've been having thoughts about weddings and shit for a while now and…it took me a couple of days to finally decide that I was going to make her my wife. You're alright with it, right?"

"Of course," I shifted on the sofa. "Vanessa's a great girl. Sweet, nice, can be bitchy when you deserve it, and is as good of a cook as I am. Well, almost, anyway." Jake laughed at the other line.

"Anyway, I'm sorry about the stove, Bells. I'll buy you a new one."

I sighed. "It's fine. I can always just order a new one, I suppose. So what are you planning to do now?"

"I don't know! I was kinda hoping that you'd help."

"Can't you just take her out to dinner and hide the ring in her champagne or bury it in her cake or something?"

"Okay, first of all, that is way too cliché. It's been done too many times already! And for the cake thing, she might choke on the ring. The last thing I need is to have to give her the Heimlich maneuver. Or hell, what if the cake ends up on another dude's table?"

"Alright, alright. Don't get your panties in a bunch." I rolled my eyes.

"So? Anymore suggestions?"

"Shut up for a sec. Ich bin tryin' to think," I contemplated what a good idea would be. Meh. Honestly, Jacob was barking up the wrong tree. I didn't watch any sappy movies (so I couldn't steal anything from them) nor do I have any romantic experiences…well, unless you count Edward's flirts.

I sighed, remembering how his arms were around me last night. They were still there when I woke up, too.

"Yo, Bella. You still there?"

"Yeah, yeah. Um, okay. I'll be honest with you. I have no idea how you're supposed to do it. You're speaking to the person who's never had a boyfriend or anything of that sort. I have zero knowledge on romance!"

"Well, there's Edward."

"Good idea. You wanna ask him? I'm sure he has more experience on this shit than I do," I stood up and began going towards the other room where I knew Edward was.

"Well…no, that wasn't what I was trying to say, but that doesn't sound too bad."

"What _were_you trying to say then?"

"You said you never had a boyfriend. I guess that's true, but you have one now right? Edward?"

My eyes widened for a second before I regained composure. "Jacob, how many times must I repeat myself? That's not it!"

He snorted. "How long do you plan on living in denial, Bella? I may not believe the articles I find, but just the way he looks at you and they way you look at him in interviews and pictures says it all."

I remained silent. I was in front of the open doorway where I saw Edward on his laptop instead of his usual pre-show pacing. I looked at my watch. We were still about thirty minutes to show time, anyway.

Edward suddenly looked up from his laptop and smiled. "You have something you need, Bella?"

"Um, yeah. Jacob wants to talk to you about…man things."

"I hope that doesn't mean the same as 'woman things.'"

I laughed. "Jake can seem like he's a PMS-ing bitch sometimes, but that's not the case today," I smirked as I handed him my phone. Jacob's "HEY!" was so loud, I could hear him though the iPhone wasn't at my ear anymore.

"Jacob," Edward greeted as he put his laptop aside. "Sure. What's up?" He patted the seat next to him, signaling me to sit beside him.

"Really? Good for you, man. Congrats." He grinned and let out a chuckle at what my brother was telling him.

"You did _what_ to Bella's stove?" he laughed harder. I rolled my eyes and solidly decided that I was going to call LG as soon as I get my phone back.

"Hm, if _I_were to propose?" he turned his head to look at me. I looked back at him questioningly and the intense gaze in his eyes met mine. My pulse quickened and I could feel yet another stupid blush en route.

"I'd do it in a time she'd least expect it," he said, still staring at me. "Probably in the middle of a concert. Right after I serenade her."

My heart was thumping loudly in my chest and I couldn't breathe. Was he trying to tell me something?

Edward's sudden laughter broke the spell and I quickly looked away. "Well you asked how _I_would do it!"

I stood up and left Edward and Jacob to discuss the perfect way to propose. I couldn't shake off the feeling that Edward meant more to his words than just telling Jake his opinion.

Well, if it wasn't, what else could there be? Clearly, he won't be proposing to _me_anytime soon since we weren't even dating.

I mentally smacked myself in the head. I needed to stop overusing my brain.

Jasper was in the other room when I returned. Surprisingly, he wasn't on the phone with Alice. Instead, he was chuckling to himself while reading one of a lot of letters scattered around him.

"Fan mail?" I asked, sitting beside him and grabbing a random envelope.

"Yeah. It's been held back for three months so you can just imagine how much we need to read," he chuckled, going back to his letter.

"Huh. That would explain why I haven't been reading anything entertaining for the last three months," I said, half teasing before ripping the envelope open.

The first fifteen letters or so I've read were standard fan stuff. 'You guys are the greatest rock band ever,' 'I have all your albums,' and 'I love you' littered the papers along with some sketches of the band logo and letterings of our names in the margins.

Things _really_got interesting from letter number seventeen.

The fans were team Edwella or team Bedward and they were definitely not afraid to show how much they support the ship. Alongside their letters were drawings and manips of me and Edward in…less than compromising positions.

Some were more modest – Edward and I were simply hugging or chastely kissing, but the others…aw, man the others.

There was one of me topless (maybe I was completely naked; I couldn't tell since it was only an upper body picture) with Edward's mouth and hand covering my breasts, another of me and Edward getting hot and steamy in a bathtub and the most raunchy of them all: Edward sucking on my right breast while taking my panties off.

As much as I'd love to deny it, the images (especially that last one) had me all hot and bothered. Dayum, we looked good together. I reluctantly looked up from the paper to look at Jasper, who was chuckling at the letter he was reading.

Good God, what if he ended up opening _these_letters?

I shuddered and looked back to my pile of fan art. There is no way in hell anyone is ever going to get their hands on these. I got up swiftly and opened the hidden pocket inside my guitar case and quickly stuffed the papers in there.

I moved to the next few letters, smiling at some nice comments and cringing at some. In one letter, the fan admitted to being a 'fanfic writer' and she loved writing fanfiction about Edward and I.

That sounded flattering, but what was a fanfiction anyway?

"Hey Jasper," I said. "Do you know what a 'fanfiction' is?"

"Uh, they're stories created using characters from a real movie or book or whatever. Why?"

"Oh," I looked at the letter again. "Well, it says here that this girl is a writer of it,"

"Ah," he replied.

"How did you know what it meant, by the way? Do you read some?"

"Uh…maybe," he smiled sheepishly. "Well, Alice enjoys it, and she loves making me read some too."

I laughed. "Why?"

He shrugged. "It gives us good ideas on what we can do for sex,"

My eyes widened. "They actually include shit like that in those stories?"

"Yeah. You cannot imagine how smutty some authors could be. Anyway, I'm grateful for them. Me and Alice always had fun re-enacting some scenes," he grinned.

"Huh," I reread that sentence. _I'm a fanfic writer and I love writing about you and Edward._

Could _she_be one of those smutty authors?

Only one way to find out.

I pulled up my laptop and had my web browser booted as soon as it was turned on. Google came up on my screen and I hastily typed 'Edward and Bella fanfiction' in the search box.

I was surprised to see that the results were bountiful. There were _that_many people who wrote about Edward and I having sex? Dayum.

Because I was curious, I clicked one of the links and it led to a story about me selling myself to Edward for a million dollars so that I could pay for my mother's heart surgery. I grinned at how I was made to be so selfless and I figured they made Edward to be the nice guy who only bought me to save me from the other creeps who were looking to buy but would love me in the end.

Too bad that's not exactly how fanfiction worked.

Fanfic Edward turned out to be someone who was just really in need of some sex. With Fanfic Bella being as stubborn as the real Bella, she wouldn't sleep with him for the first couple of nights but she did allow some fingering.

Ugh. This was sick. I needed to stop reading.

"Here's your phone back," someone suddenly said from behind me and I jumped. I looked back to see Edward holding my iPhone to me. "Sorry we took so long, but your brother can be as picky and meticulous as Alice is about clothes."

I grinned and took my phone. "It's fine. So did you settle on a good proposal plan?"

"Whose proposal plan?" Jasper spoke up, looking up from his letter.

"Jacob's," I replied. "He plans on marrying his girlfriend."

"Yeah. Well, anyway, he's taking her to the roof of the building where they first met. Romantic picnic and all that shit before he pops the question." Edward said.

"That's good," I nodded. Talking about Jacob reminded me of something else (something _expensive)_and my bitch face was back.

Edward chuckled. "Not pleased with your stove?"

"Do you know how expensive that was? And besides, it was what Paula Deen had,"

"The Food Network lady?" he asked. "The one who loves butter in everything?"

"Yeah that would be her," I said before sighing. "I better order another one now."

"Hey, what are you reading?" Edward suddenly became fascinated with the screen of my laptop.

Oh _shit._

With ninja lightning speed, I hit alt-F4, effectively closing the Google Chrome window before he could even touch it.

"Nothing," I muttered, my heart racing. Meh. It was like hiding porn from my parents, except the situation was a lot worse since the shit was actually _about_the person I was hiding it from.

Eh. It wasn't really porn, anyway. No, wait. Yes it was. Word porn. Smutty, lemony, hot, panty-wetting word porn.

After realizing that my screen held nothing, Edward looked back at me with a raised eyebrow but only for a moment. He reverted his attention to the pile of fan mail.

"Ah. It has finally arrived. I haven't read any of this for months."

"Yeah, it got held back. Help yourself," Jasper gestured to the envelopes.

"I wonder how many marriage proposals I'll get this time," he muttered, ripping the top open.

"I've seen three from the ones I've read," Jasper gestured to the ones at the foot of the sofa he was sitting on. "Five were for Bella, though."

My eyes widened. Since when did I ever get _those?_

We continued to hack through the mountain of mail until Emmett and Rosalie showed up, looking like they had sex somewhere which they probably did, anyway. Apparently, it was already five minutes before show time.

I should definitely read fan mail before a concert. It's the best nerve-killer I've seen so far. Probably because of all the nipple sucking and pussy eating I've read and seen…

Meh. Mind out of the gutter, Swan. It's almost game time.

The concert was yet another success and at the end, a lot of people threw roses to the stage. We shouted our thank you's and collected about four or five dozen of the long stemmed flowers.

Since it was our last shindig in North America, Rosalie threw an after party in the hotel we were staying in afterwards. Aside from the band, people I didn't really know were there too together with A-listers I couldn't give half a shit about.

I rubbed my eyes as I leaned against the back of a sofa where two people were making out. As usual, I was yet another wallflower in yet another stupid social event.

Meh. Screw life.

I got up from my position and decided that it was time to end me being such an outcast in parties where I was supposed to be one of the celebrated people. I was about to turn twenty five in…heck, I don't even know how many weeks or days or whatever and it's time to get out of the rut I've been stuck in all my life.

After flagging down a waiter to get some champagne, I looked around the room in search for someone decent to talk to. So far, I had no such luck. Everyone I ran into either was someone I didn't know, or someone I just didn't like.

Five minutes later, I figured I could just talk to my band mates. Emmett was nowhere to be found and so was Rosalie, so I guess it's safe to assume that they're off in the bathroom or in their own room doing some hanky panky.

Jasper was talking and laughing with Hayley Williams from Paramore and Travis Clark from We the Kings. It was rude to just barge into the convo, so that wasn't an option.

Sighing, I scoured the room for Edward. I gritted my teeth when I saw him talking to Jane Varner. He was smiling and she was flirtatiously trailing a finger up and down his muscled arm.

Ish. What was she even doing here? Was she stalking us or something? Okay, so maybe stalking might be a little too harsh since every single New Moon fan knew of our tour schedule, but jeez!

And Edward. You motherbleeper. Were you trying to lead me on with all the protective shit and the night time cuddling just to go for the next slut you see?

Well, guess what, buddy. You are a real person. In plain and simple English, FACT you. FACT you, man. You are not fake, you are a fact. So FACT you.

Meh. I couldn't even curse at him properly!

"Bella!"

My focus shifted from the red haze covering my irises and the bloodlust boiling inside me to the object of my fiery hate/love. Edward was waving me from his table.

My eyes narrowed at him.

"Come over here!"

Was he oblivious to my glaring or some shit? Whatever. I made my over to his and the whore's table. This could be an opportunity to make her suffer.

And believe me, growing up with a little brother will teach you everything you need to know about torturing a human being with results like submission, tears, and even bodily harm.

The still present scars on Jacob's arm will attest to that.

"What's up?" I said in a surprisingly neutral voice. Nice, Bella. Keep it up.

"You remember Jane, right?" he gestured to Skank le Blonde on his right who gave me the head-to-toe.

"Sure. Senator Varner's daughter. Nice to see you again," I greeted her with the sweetest, sickliest, most saccharine voice and grin ever.

"Mm," she replied, looking at her cuticles and acting completely uninterested.

"Anyway, you can do _Stairway to Heaven_on a double head guitar, right?"

I looked at him with a questioning smile and a raised eyebrow. "Uh, yeah, I can do _Stairway_on a double. Why?"

"See? I told you she was better than me," Edward laughed, nudging a pissed off Jane.

"What?" I asked, trying to follow.

"She asked if I could play guitar so I told her I could, but I'm not as good as you are." Cue blush. "She didn't believe me so I called you over."

I looked at Jane with an expression that was the love child of my amused face and the face I reserved for the mentally incompetent. Of course I was better than Edward in guitar! If I wasn't, then _he_ should've been the lead guitarist of New Moon! Idiot.

I allowed a chuckle to escape my lips – the one used for the slow people. "I see." I said simply.

"She also doesn't believe that you play more than on instrument," Edward continued. Heh. So all they did while standing by this table was talk about moi. Nice, Edward. I'm really glad I didn't call you a motherfucker. And that I didn't say fuck you. Though I _would_very much like to do that…

"Yeah, we-"

"Ooh, they brought out the chocolate fountain!" Jane squealed suddenly. Her voice probably pitched to the range only dogs could hear. "Bella, darling, will you be a dear and get us some strawberries and chocolate?"

Why did I have the feeling that by 'we' she wasn't including me…

"Jane, Bella's not a – "

"Nah, it's fine, it's fine," I shrugged and bit the inside of my mouth out of sheer…pissed-offness. "I'll go get you some, _your highness."_

"No, Bella, seriously, stay here and I'll –"

I shook my head and walked away quickly. Better I feed them with the strawberries and chocolate myself than to stay alone with Miss Bitch International here.

Grumbling to myself, I pushed my way to the front so that I was directly in front of the chocolate fountain. After grabbing two bowls, I filled both of them with the hot fudge, the one for me holding more than the one for…yeah. I don't care if the quantity's too small. When it comes to food – chocolate especially – Bella trumps hoe every time.

I got some fruits and nuts and all but slammed them and the bowl of chocolate on their table.

"You're welcome," I said before they could say anything.

"No strawberries?" Jane pouted instead of taking the hint and saying thank you.

_You will not murder, you will not murder, you will not murder…_

"There weren't any,"

"Well, you can at least take the nuts. I hate them,"

_Jail is bad, jail is bad, jail is bad…_

"I'm allergic to nuts," I said bluntly. It was true, anyway. I never really enjoyed the joys of peanut butter as a child.

"Really?" Edward spoke. "That must suck for you,"

"You have no idea," I said. "Imagine having no peanut butter, no pistachio ice cream, no _kare-kare,_and no peanut brittle. Life can be cruel sometimes,"

He laughed out loud and I smiled. "Have you seen the PS3 station they have set up?"

"They have a one here?"

"Yeah. Some people are playing _Rock Band_there right now, I believe,"

"Nice. Perfect opportunity to kick some ass," and to show off a little, of course."Where is it?"

"Over there. Come on, I'll show you," he grabbed my hand and towed me away from the table and a furious looking Jane. He gave her a small wave and I shot her my irritating smirk, the one that made Jake cry as a kid.

Wasn't I an awesome older sister or what?

"Thank God," Edward muttered as soon as she was out of ear shot and eye sight. "I was dying to get away from her all night!"

Now I was _really_glad I didn't curse at him.

I laughed. "Wasn't your type, eh?"

"Aw, hell no," he cringed. "Why is it that I always attract the stupid, vapid blonde ones, huh?" he ran a hand through his hair.

I bit my lip before answering. "Don't worry. They're not the only ones who want you," I murmured so low, he probably didn't hear from the noise coming from the party.

"So where's the PS3 station?" I asked louder. "I'm dying to get my hands on a guitar controller and make some grown men cry,"

Edward continued to lead me through the throngs of people and we stopped at a corner with a comfy-looking chair overlooking the city below.

"Well? Where is it?" I already had my game adrenaline pumping and everything.

He gave me a mischievous grin. "There isn't one."

My eyes widened. "Really?"

"Really," he nodded. "I'm sorry. I was just really desperate to get away from Jane. I mean, since _you_wouldn't help me,"

"Da heck, bro? You weren't sending any SOS's," I put my hands on my hips.

"Yes I was," he insisted. "I was looking at you all night, hoping to catch your attention so you can ward off the skank with your sneakers," he paused to grin. "I managed to call you over, but then she sent you away to get chocolate,"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Was that why you didn't want me to go?"

He nodded. "Precisely."

"You do realize, however, that by you going instead, I would've been left to suffer," I pointed out.

Edward just shrugged. "Desperation is desperation, Isabella."

I sighed, looking around the party. "So there really _isn't_a PS3 station?" I asked after a while.

He chuckled. "Sorry to disappoint, but no. Why do you want one so badly, anyway?"

"I'm just so bored out of my wits," I moaned. "I told you before. I usually don't do anything at these parties. I'm just a fly in the wall. Heh. Thought I had something for entertainment for once,"

Edward looked at me for a while before leaning forward and whispering. "Am I not entertaining you, Isabella?"

His tone was rough and husky and my thoughts were suddenly on all the smutty fanfic moments and fan pictures I've seen before the show. Hello, soaked underwear.

I shuddered and he chuckled, pulling away. "You can always hang out with me. I'll keep you _entertained,_" he waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "And you can ward off the hoes. Win-win," he grinned.

"Uh…s-sure," I stuttered. I'd agree to anything he said if he said it like that.

We stayed at our little corner and watched the city the whole night. At some point, my feet were starting to cramp from standing too long and Edward told me to sit. I obeyed, put pretty soon, he was standing uncomfortably as well, so I stood and offered him the seat.

"Wait," he said after declining the chair and insisting that he wanted to be a gentleman. "I got it,"

He sat down on the plush seat then pulled me down to sit on his lap. My heart was pounding wildly like it was in a race against Formula One racers and my skin burned where it met his. His arms wrapped around my waist as he held me to rest against his chest.

After a few seconds of awkwardness, I eventually relaxed. Edward's chin rested on my shoulder and once in a while he would snuggle it against my skin. The feeling of his stubble tickled, but it was a good feeling still.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back so that it was resting against the side of his neck while my arms covered his.

Hopefully, that showed him that brunettes love him too.


	13. Chapter 13

"Palm side up first,"

"What? Nooo, it's palm side _down_first,"

"I'm looking at the YouTube video right now, Emmett. It's palm side down,"

"What? Step aside and lemme see,"

I smirked as I turned my laptop to him. The woman in the video was showing the basic steps to the Macarena and clearly, it was palm side down first.

"Yeah, well…she must've gotten it wrong," Emmett insisted. I rolled my eyes and made the screen face me again. "Why do you need to learn this, again?"

"Duh. We're going to Brazil!"

"I'm not following,"

Emmett sighed like I was stupid then went back to trying to learn his own version of the Macarena. I pursed my lips to strangle a laugh. It wasn't like he wasn't…very good or anything, but just the idea of Emmett putting his arms out then back to his hips is just hilarious.

Thank God no one else was in first class.

I looked around the cabin for signs of our camera man only to find Peter to be asleep with his equipment on his lap. That was too bad. A dancing Emmett would've been a hell of a lot entertaining for the DVD.

Our flight from New York to Sao Paulo began at midnight. Since it was non-stop, it meant nine hours of staying in first class doing whatever.

Rosalie was already asleep in the seats behind me and Jasper was passed out at the other row. Edward borrowed my PSP and was currently concentrating on playing Metal Slug 5 while I went about YouTube looking for something decent to watch.

"How the heck did you escape this level? This is impossible!" Edward groaned from beside me.

I leaned over and looked at the cause of his problem.

"Hm, that level wasn't too hard…if you have a heavy machine gun or a flame thrower or something," I replied pointedly.

Edward huffed in response and went back to the game.

I continued to look at him for a few seconds. He looked adorable, scowling at the small monitor while muttering incoherencies that sounded like curses. I giggled and reached over to muss his hair.

"Don't bother me right now," he grumbled, shaking his head to swat my hand away. I rolled my eyes and went back to my laptop.

Since it was apparent that there was nothing interesting to watch on YouTube or anything good to read on Yahoo!, I figured it was high time to check my email. I haven't signed it for what seemed like weeks. Hell, maybe it _was_weeks.

My inbox contained the usual. Stupid chain messages about a dead girl who would kill me if I didn't pass on the email to twenty five of my friends, stupid chain messages about some African prince wanting to give me part of his fortune and, oh, guess what, even more stupid chain messages about how passing the message would get the love of my life to kiss me on the nearest Friday.

Well, okay, so I almost considered the last one. Key word being almost.

Aside from the meaningless chain messages and ads, a majority of my email comprised of birthday greetings ranging from elaborate e-cards to just a simple 'happy birthday.' I scratched my head. Excited much? My birthday wasn't going to be for a couple more weeks.

Or was it.

"Edward, what day is it today?" I asked, not taking my eyes off my screen.

"Ha? I dunno…Tuesday?"

"No, no I meant what date,"

"Uh…September eight, I think. Or nine. I don't know exactly. One of the two,"

So that meant I had roughly five days until my birthday. Shit.

"Why did you ask?"

I shrugged. "Eh. My inbox is flooded with birthday greetings. I dunno, I figured they were sending them too soon. You know me and my issues with calendars,"

Edward didn't reply and was silent for a while before he suddenly dropped my PSP and stood up.

"Edward? Where the heck are you going?"

"I… uh…remembered something," he said hastily. "Be right back,"

He passed in front of me and disappeared so quickly I didn't see which direction he went. Shaking my head, I bent to pick up my PSP. Meh. First my stove and now this.

Edward didn't return after about ten minutes (not that I was counting the minutes or anything) and I was getting bored. Emmett finally gave up on his dance and was snoring in one of the rows. It was one thirty-two in the morning but like the nocturnal creature I was, I was still not sleepy.

I leaned my head against my fist and mindlessly went through New Moon's official website. Heh. Apparently some people were declaring September thirteen as Bella Day and various celebrations were being planned all throughout the globe.

Edward returned with a calmer disposition than the state he was in ten minutes ago. I raised an eyebrow at him as he scooted in front of me and plopped back on his seat.

"Where'd you go?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Bathroom,"

"For ten minutes? Wow, what did you eat for dinner again?"

He rolled his eyes but laughed before bending and feeling around the plane carpet.

"Here," I held my PSP to him as he sat up. "Don't drop it on the floor again or I'm never letting you anywhere near it."

He smiled at me apologetically and I forgave him on the spot. "Sorry. It's not damaged or anything, is it?"

I turned it on and it still functioned properly; the carpet offered some cushion. "Nah. It still lives," I handed it to him again.

"If it _was_fried in any way I haven't discovered yet though, you'd have to get me a new one for my birthday," I said, half serious.

"As fair as that sounds, I have other ideas as to what to get you for your birthday," he replied.

"And that would be…?"

"Nice try, Miss Swan, but you'll have to find out on the thirteenth,"

"Ah, you mean Bella Day," I smirked.

Edward smirked back with a raised eyebrow. "What? It's what people on the internet are calling that day,"

He chuckled and went back to my PSP. I was about to pester him some more about my birthday gift when the urge to yawn took over. I stretched my arms over my head and closed my eyes, giving in.

I scratched my eyes and slouched in my seat while resting my head on my fist. It had been an exhausting day of fending off the fans that managed to find our hotel in New York and had stalked us to the airport and beating off the paparazzi who didn't know how to get their damn flashing cameras off our faces.

"Go to sleep, Bella," Edward noticed my signs of drowsiness. "We won't be in Brazil for about seven more hours."

"Meh. How come _you_aren't sleepy yet?" I grumbled as I sat up straighter.

He chuckled. "Vampire,"

"I thought I was supposed to be the vampire,"

"I believe you said that vampires needed their beauty rest too?"

I huffed. "So shouldn't you be getting your beauty sleep too, then?" Not that he needed anything to make him any more beautiful.

He laughed again. "What is it about sleep that you are so opposed to?"

"Nothing, it's just that I just feel awkward sleeping next to someone who's still awake,"

His eyes left the screen and he turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure it's not because you can't sleep anymore without cuddling with me?"

Okay, so maybe that _was_ one of the reasons why I didn't want to go to sleep yet, but that wasn't the only one! I opened my mouth to protest, but no words came out. Instead, a revealing blush spread through my face and neck.

Another laugh escaped his throat and he shut my PSP off. He reached over and unceremoniously shut my laptop down the illegal way, too. I watched as he lifted the arm rest between us then grabbed my arm to pull me to him.

Edward wrapped his arms around me then reclined his chair so we were both lying down. The fancy first class seat was wide and comfortable enough to accommodate both of us.

"If you wanted to sleep with me, Bella, all you had to do was say so," he said matter-of-factly. My blush intensified at how his statement sounded.

He must've felt the heat of my cheeks on his chest since he groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. That wasn't supposed to come out like that," he muttered. "I meant, you know, if you wanted me to…while you slept…yeah, you get the point," he fumbled.

The hand that was previously berating his hair went back to rest on my hip and the air felt thick with awkwardness and some palpable sexual tension.

"Yeah, I get it. Heh, and I thought it was _that_easy to have sex with you," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

He laughed. "Nah, you'd have to ask me _and_ get me a dozen beers if you want to have some Edward lovin.' Me staying the night costs extra, though. I'm running out of shit to use to fill my iPod,"

"I'll keep that in mind," I replied sarcastically, though in head, I memorized everything he mentioned and made a plan to get a lot of Heineken and iTunes cards.

"Night, Bells," Edward yawned then settled to drift off seconds later.

"'Night," I whispered back before falling asleep as well.

The next hours passed by quickly mostly because I was having some really weird dream. And it felt so real, too, which was dangerous since I tended to do the same actions as Dream Bella, which is highly detrimental to whoever or whatever's sleeping next to me.

All I'm saying is, poor Edward.

"I am so sorry," I repeated for the fifth time at eight in the morning. "I just…I have a tendency to act out whatever I dream about,"

"It's fine," Edward wheezed, rubbing the spot on his chest where my fist pounded him. Hard. He coughed a few times before giving me a small smile. "I never knew you could pack in a punch. That shit hurt like hell,"

I blushed and apologized some more. "I'm so-"

"Bella, you can stop it with the sorry's. I'm good. Not much harm done," he chuckled before stretching. He brought his left wrist to his face and realized that he wasn't wearing his watch. "What time is it?"

"Around eight in the morning. We're going to land soon," I said, straightening up and moving to my own seat. My stomach grumbled while I brushed my hair quickly with a random brush I found in my carry on. "Easy, tiger," I patted my belly. "We'll get you breakfast soon,"

Minutes later, Peter was up and cleaning his camera to get ready to shoot soon. Emmett and Jasper were also awake but were still pretty groggy. Rosalie was apparently up about half an hour before Edward and I and spent the entire time in the first class bathroom getting primped for the day.

Pretty soon, the pilot was announcing our descent to Sao Paulo. The weather was nice and a steady stream of sun was pouring in from the plane windows as we landed in the tarmac.

As usual, we donned our shades and hoods before getting out of the plane and facing the public. Peter decided to do a quick interview while we were waiting for our baggage.

"How are you liking Brazil so far?"

"It's really nice here. I can tell the weather's going to be warm," I gestured to the large glass windows showing a sunny landscape.

"Are you excited to celebrate your birthday here?"

I chuckled. "Sure. It's not every year I get to add another year to my age in another continent, but I'm really more excited to see how the shows would go. I've seen how North American fans react to our music and I've see how European ones do too. All that's left are the South American ones and Asians, but that's going to have to wait till later,"

I turned my attention back to the conveyer belt which was pulling up our luggage. Edward offered to grab one of my guitar cases as it came closer to us.

Weird sounds came from the black case as he handed it to me. Scrunching my eyebrows, I moved towards a group of empty chairs and quickly opened it. I almost cried at the sight.

My precious Jackson Stratocaster had his strings snapped and broken. I reached over and lifted each metal coil like it would do something to make it better.

"Bella, Rosalie wants to go to the duty-free shops over there and she wanted to know if you needed so – Bella, are you okay?"

I shook my head no as I continued to stare at my ruined guitar. Edward must've seen the cause of my distress since his hand immediately went to look at the damage.

"What happened?"

"I don't know! It must be pressure from being at such a high altitude or something," I scratched my head roughly in utter frustration.

"Didn't you loosen the strings before we boarded the flight?"

"I did, but apparently not enough." Then another thought occurred to me. "Shit, did this happen to _all_my guitars?"

Before Edward could reply, I made a run to Demetri, who was loading our luggage on those cart things airports always have.

"Demetri, where are my guitars?" I asked in a panicked voice. He gestured towards one of the carts behind him.

"None of them made any weird noises when you carried them, did they?"

"No, I haven't heard anything suspicious in them. Why? What's wrong?"

But I didn't answer anymore since I was too busy yanking my cases two at a time. Felix came over and got each guitar case much quicker than I did. I opened them all with shaky fingers.

When the last one was lifted, I breathed a big sigh of relief. None of my other guitars were damaged in any way. I looked back at the chairs where the Stratocaster was now resting in peace. Why the heck that happened to it, I will never know.

"What's going on?" Demetri repeated as he looked at the ten black cases occupying a vast amount of the airport floor.

"The strings of my Jackson all got broken since I didn't loosen the strings enough before we went up. I worried that it happened to all my other guitars, too."

While Demetri and Felix closed and packed my babies, I went back to where Edward was standing with a worried expression on his face.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his tone concerned.

"I'm fine," I assured him before looking at the Strat. "But he's not,"

"And the rest of them?"

"They're good, thank God," I sighed again before closing the guitar case and carrying it over to the security team. Edward patted my back in a comforting manner once I did.

I didn't notice Peter filming the whole thing, but apparently he was. Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie returned from some duty-free shopping not too long after and we exited the airport to our waiting tour bus.

The new one was tricked out. It had two floors and the second floor had a nice glass room in the front that was perfect for viewing the streets of Brazil as we cruised through them.

"Nice," Emmett approved of our digs as well before climbing inside. The first floor was a lot like our old bus; tight kitchenette, leather seating, built in television everywhere, and the coffin room upstairs was similar to it as well only this time, it had a skylight that showcased the bright blue sky and puffy clouds of Sao Paulo.

"I call dibs," I declared on the coffin that was close to the door leading to the viewing room.

"That means this is mine, then," Edward grinned as he plopped on the coffin across mine. I grinned at him back.

"You guys are sickening," Jasper muttered as he set his bag on the one behind mine. His phone rang at the same time and he answered with a smile. "Hey, sweetcakes. How's the baby?"

"And he calls _us_sickening?" I snorted, opening my carry on. Edward laughed as I switched my iPhone on again. I didn't really have any new messages or missed calls aside from Jacob who left me two. I scrunched my nose. My social life was seriously lacking.

"Alright, if you're sure…" Jasper's voice trailed off as he came closer. "Bella, Alice wants to talk to you,"

I raised an eyebrow. Jasper had warned me about her crazy hormones and how she drove everyone but him insane. He nodded and shook his Blackberry a little. I took it hesitantly and put it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Bella!" Alice's usually cheerful tone greeted from the other line. "How are you?"

"I'm doing great. How about you? How's baby Whitlock?"

"You sound a lot like Jasper," she complained in mock annoyance. "But thanks for asking. He or she's doing fine. Nothing much to tell you about how things have been going here since it's just so damn boring. I wish I was on the road with you guys. Ugh, all the things you did must've been so much fun!"

I chuckled. "We missed you, too. Jasper's been telling us that you've been even more psychotic with the pregnancy hormones,"

"You have no idea, sister. Luckily, I keep them under control with lollipops,"

"Lollipops," I repeated and she let out a chirpy "Mm-hm!"

"They're called Preggy Pops and they taste fantastic! They help me a lot when I get headaches and I'm a lot less grumpy when I eat them. They're really good,"

"Wow. So only pregnant women can have them?"

She laughed. "Oh, Bella. If you want to know how they taste like, I'll be sure to get you a dozen boxes when you get pregnant with Edward's babies,"

I choked on the saliva I was about to swallow and coughed to gather my semblance. "What?"

"Don't play coy with me, Swan. Jasper told me you guys were sleeping in the same room. _And on the same bed!"_she giggled like a fan girl and I wondered if those Preggy Pops made her high as well.

"He…I…It was Rosalie's doing!"

"Yeah, but she only did it since he kept sneaking into your room at night, rocking your world, then doing the walk of shame the next morning,"

I huffed a breath. "You and Jasper gossip like a bunch of teenage girls,"

"Hey, I still count as one,"

"And so does your husband?"

"He's an honorary member,"

I rolled my eyes and looked sideways at Edward, who was thankfully distracted with his earphones to pay attention.

"Ugh, you have _no_idea how long I've waited for this moment. Lauren Mallory's finally out of the picture! I told you so," she said and I could just imagine the smug smile on her face.

"Yeah. Thank God she hadn't gone crying to her dad. Knowing him, he would've probably cut our deal short or something,"

"Well, she wasn't too bitter about the break up. Apparently she found another victim pretty quickly,"

"Really? Who?"

"Eric Yorkie. You know, the one in that boy band,"

"Heh, I wouldn't know. I have zilch knowledge on pop music," I replied, moving downstairs where I didn't see anyone but Rosalie moving about. But she was too busy on her own phone to give a shit about me. "How do you know, anyway?"

"Duh, Bella, internet. Plus I've been reading a lot of magazines,"

"You do realize that more than three-fourths of what they publish is bullshit, right?"

I could hear her rolling her eyes. "Whatever. But hey, I saw the _GQ_issue. Man that thing was _hawt!"_

"Oh, it's out already?"

"Uh, no, but they sent a preview of it in the mail. You and Edward make really good vampires. I could just imagine how animalistic your sex must be." She sighed. "I miss Jasper,"

I chuckled, ignoring her earlier statement. "Yeah, well…"

"Oh and your birthday's coming up, right? How are you guys going to celebrate?"

I shrugged. "Dinner,"

"_Just_dinner? Shouldn't you be having some kind of a big party or some shit?"

"Oh please, Alice. You know how I hate making a spectacle of myself. Well, except when I'm on stage or doing a band thing."

Alice sighed. "Well, will you be at least be wearing a dress this time?"

I snorted. "What universe are you living in?"

"Come on, Bella! You're turning twenty five! Time to shake things up a little! You know, be a little girlier,"

"Hah. Nein, danke."

"You know I get annoyed when you talk to me in German,"

"Why, because you can't understand it?"

"No, it's just…meh. I need more Preggy Pops. The hormones are making me a picky bitch again," she muttered.

I laughed and she piped up again. "Seriously, though. Go celebrate being a woman on the thirteenth. Go do yourself and Edward a favor and buy some really sexy lingerie,"

I snorted loudly. "Hell no. That would be _beyond_embarrassing."

"Well, lingerie's coming to you one way or the other,"

"What are you…oh no. Please tell me you didn't get me any for my birthday," I pleaded.

"Okay, I won't tell you,"

"Alice! Seriously!"

"I am! But I'm just saying. It may not come from me, but it will come,"

I began to argue with her again but then Jasper appeared out of nowhere and demanded that he wanted to speak to his wife already. I rolled my eyes and gave Alice a quick goodbye before surrendering his Blackberry and retreating to the kitchenette where Rosalie was preparing some coffee and doughnuts from the airport.

The boys must've smelled the promise of breakfast and soon came downstairs to eat as well. My stomach, which has been growling since we were up in the air, was finally beginning to be appeased as I tore through pastry after pastry.

I was about to shove another into my mouth, when Edward grabbed a hold of my wrist and stopped me. I looked at him with the 'da fuck, man?' expression.

"Nuts," he replied, pointing at the doughnut topping.

Oh. Well, that was a close one. I was usually more aware of what I ate even when I was seriously hungry, but I guess I was still a little distracted with my conversation with Alice earlier.

"Thanks," I told him quietly, smiling. My heart fluttered at how he remembered my accursed allergy.

"What's up?" Emmett asked as he witnessed our exchange.

"Bella's allergic to nuts," Edward replied, taking the doughnut from me and eating it himself while I reached for a safer jelly filled one.

"Huh. Guess I never noticed you not eating anything with peanuts on them since you seem to eat everything," Jasper thought aloud before sipping his coffee.

"Aw, that's too bad, eh, Edward?" Emmett shook his head in exaggerated dismay.

"How is that bad for me?"

"Well, she'd never get to taste your nuts now, now would she?"

"What are you – AWWWWWWWWW," I groaned when I realized what he meant.

Edward's face looked like a cross between wanting to kick Emmett in _his_nuts and pure mortification.

"What? Well, I suppose you guys have enough muffin to cover the tasting part, but it isn't fair to the Ed-man over here if only Bella gets – "

"EMMETT!" Rosalie finally had enough sexual innuendos for one morning. Emmett simply shrugged and went back to his breakfast.

Jasper chuckled. "Never a dull moment with you people,"

Thankfully, we arrived at the hotel already and I didn't have to suffer any more of Emmett's looks or words. Tons of our Brazilian fans greeted us as we exited our bus and felt the warm breeze that only the tropics have.

"I really don't understand a word they're saying," I chuckled as I listened to them scream different things at us in a flurry of Portuguese and English. I raised my hand and waved at them which only drove them even more mad.

"I can make out some," Edward said as he waved to the people as well. This time, they all struggled to break the barriers which Felix and the rest of the security crew had to reinforce.

"And those are?"

"Usual fan stuff. I love you, Edward. Jasper, you are hot. Emmett, you're gorgeous. Marry me, Bella," he looked at me with such an intense expression with the last statement and I almost fainted.

Instead, I laughed nervously and followed the others inside the air conned building. "You speak Portuguese?"

He shrugged. "A little. My parents believed in making me learn a lot of languages, but since I haven't practiced them in a really long time, I've forgotten a lot,"

"You never talk about your parents," I mused as Rosalie handed us our room key (yes, we were still staying in the same room…and bed).

"Eh. Not really much to talk about with them," he replied as we followed a hotel employee to the elevators.

"You guys aren't close?"

"It's not that, it's just…well, they're kinda…controlling, my mom especially, and she has my whole life planned out for me. Big surprise when I totally went the opposite direction of what she wanted," he chuckled.

"Ah. Parental disappointment. I get a lot of that from my mom, too," I admitted as the elevator dinged and we were showed to our room.

"Really?"

"Shyeah. Wanted me to get some normal, nine-to-five job that would have me insane within a matter of hours," I flopped onto the big, white bed facing the balcony.

Edward laughed again. "Yeah, I can never imagine you in a secretary outfit taking calls for some bozo,"

"Oi, I'll have you know that if I do go into office work, I'll be the bamf CEO of the company."

"Bamf?"

"Badass motherfucker. And I thought you spoke the language of the internet,"

"You mean young person speak,"

"You're right. We're getting old, Gramps,"

He smiled and laid down next to me. We were quiet for a while, just enjoying each other's company and the warm weather until his phone vibrated through the whole bed.

He got up, took one look at the number, then scrambled to answer it out on the balcony where I couldn't hear shit. He returned with a smile on his face.

"Who was that?" I asked, secretly worried that he may be calling some other girl.

"Ah, no one," he replied with a smile.

"You sure it's not some secret girlfriend?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant but in reality I was nervous at his answer.

"Hah. Hell no," he gave a Bella answer. I laughed and sat up to mess with his hair; it was just so irresistible.

"I like it when you sound like me," I admitted.

"Well, what can I say. You are very influential," he turned to give me his signature sexy smirk.

I almost considered Alice's suggestion of getting me some lingerie right then and there.


	14. Chapter 14

"How are you enjoying Brazil so far?"

"Well, it's quite a change from North America. I mean, even in the –ber months, you guys have a nice weather."

The interviewer chuckled and batted her eyelashes at Edward. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Currently, the interview we were in was turning out to be one of those where only the front man got to talk. Normally, that would annoy me but right now, I would let it slide.

We spent the entire morning doing press work, barely got lunch in, and were shoved back in front of cameras what seemed like minutes later. With no caffeine, low food levels and barely any sleep, I was close to falling into a coma. Course it didn't help that it was also two thirty in the afternoon and the warm Brazilian wind was lulling me to unconsciousness.

I tried to remember all my techniques back in high school for falling asleep in class without anyone noticing. There was the downcast eyes technique, but I needed a book or something in front of me to make it seem like I'm reading.

Or maybe the hide behind the bangs one, except my bangs weren't how they were in high school.

Bah, screw it. They won't notice if I close my eyes for a few seconds…

"Bella, it would be your birthday in a few days, right?"

My eyes snapped open and my back erected at the sound of my name and I tried to focus on the interviewer. "Uh, yeah. On the thirteenth." I managed to say.

"And I believe fans are calling it 'Bella Day'?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, I've read something like that on the internet."

"What are your plans for celebrating? Do you have a big party planned? Sao Paulo has some very nice hotspots for those."

"Heh. Um, no, we're keeping things simple. Just a small dinner with the guys."

The interviewer gave me barely a smile then went back to launching questions that only Edward answered. I was starting to get sleepy again and I looked at the rest of the band. Jasper seemed to be holding out alright, looking at the interviewer but not saying anything but Emmett seemed as bad as I was. Well, I suppose I was worse but he looked like he wanted to just push everyone off the sofa and curl up to take a nap too.

Thankfully, the Edward monologues were finished about ten minutes later. I yawned as we piled into the van on the way to another interview.

"Can we stop by for some coffee or something, please?" I requested. "Give me a shot of caffeine or I'm going to fall asleep in the next press thing,"

"That would explain why you were so quiet," Edward thought aloud. "Normally, you'd never allow me to dominate the interview,"

"Yeah, well. I'm lacking energy and it's an unholy hour. You do the math," I replied, leaning my head against the head rest. I yawned again.

Thankfully, we were refueled by a quick stop at a mini mart where I got five cans of Coke which were emptied in a record time of forty five minutes.

The next stop was at a local CD shop where we were supposed to sign shit and have photo sessions with the fans. The outside was already crowded with people.

After we were ushered inside and armed with Sharpies and even more cans of Coke, the doors opened the long line came filtering in.

"Happy birthday!" one of the fans greeted me as she handed me a wrapped present.

"Aw, that's nice of you," I smiled at her and she giggled. "This is actually the very first birthday gift I've ever received, so thank you."

I brought the box under my seat for further inspection later. "So, what do you want me to sign?"

She got her Converse sneakers on the table and I signed it with a smirk. Looks like a lot of people were into Chucks.

The rest of the fans who came in also had a present for moi. They ranged from wrapped gifts I'm going to have to open later and shit they just probably stopped by at the nearby mall to randomly get. I mean, really. What did they expect me to do with a scientific calculator?

"Ohmigash, I so totally can't believe I'm meeting you in person!"

I smiled at the little blonde fangirl who was trying not to hyperventilate in front of me. She didn't have the same tan skin as everyone nor did she have the slightest bit of an accent. "Hey, are you American?" I asked as she continued to just stand there and gawk.

She nodded quickly. "Yeah, totally."

"Ah. Vacationing with the family in Brazil?"

"Um, no. I just convinced them to take me here so that I can meet you guys and attend a concert since I totally missed out on all your shows in America. I mean, isn't that just so totally stupid?"

"Uhuh. Yeah. Totally," I replied, nodding slowly. "So…anything I should sign?"

She quickly dug into her bag and got out a book. "Here," she pushed it enthusiastically to me.

I was about to sign it when my eyes finally registered who the people on the cover were. It was Edward and I, or well our faces anyway, since the bodies were most certainly not us. We were in a lover's embrace, almost kissing, and the title read '1000 Oceans'.

"Uh…where did you get this book?" I asked, casting a sideward glance at Edward, who was sitting next to me. Thankfully, he was too busy conversing with another fan to see what was in front of me.

"I wrote it myself. It's a fanfic, but I so totally got a couple of copies published," Blondie declared with a grin. "I, um, don't know if you've read it, but I actually sent you guys a letter, like, two months ago. I'm Regina, the fanfic author…?"

Ah, so it was her.

"The fan mail actually got held back a couple of months but I did get to read that letter. Erm, thanks for…" I thought about what I was supposed to thank her for. Writing smut stories about me and my gorgeous band mate? Putting my deepest and darkest fantasies into words for all the world to read and weep?

"Yeah, thanks for liking us enough to…write,"

"You are so totally welcome," she gave me another wide smile and I quickly placed my loopy signature on the cover.

"Wait! I so totally have a copy for you," she reached into her bag again and exchanged the signed book for another clean one. "I hope you like it!"

"Ah, thanks…"

I quickly shoved the book under my chair and awaited the next fan. I looked around, trying to see if anyone caught the book. Thankfully, all my band mates were too distracted and Peter was concentrating more on Edward.

After our shindig in the CD store, we had about four more interviews with newspapers and TV stations before we were finally dismissed for the day. Rosalie suggested we all go to dinner before heading to our respective rooms for the night.

"Wasn't today exhausting?" Rosalie gathered and tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder as we waited for our orders to arrive.

"Yeah. Maybe because we had to start at six in the freaking morning," Emmett grumbled.

"What? We had an interview with that morning show!"

They continued to bicker while Jasper was – as usual – fiddling with his Blackberry.

"I saw a lot of fans giving you gifts today," Edward said from beside me.

"Heh. Yeah. Some of 'em gave me the most random shit, though. Still, it's the thought that counts,"

"Did they give you anything interesting?"

"Uh…" I thought about the fanfic book thing. "I…dunno. I mean, some of them were in boxes and were actually wrapped."

Luckily, the food arrived so the subject was thankfully dropped.

"Oh, by the way," Rosalie began after taking a sip of her wine. "Edward and Bella,"

"Yeah?" we both replied at the same time.

"Converse wants to do an ad with both of you. Well, they want you to be their official spokespersons, but they want an ad done as well,"

My eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Yeah. It's for their new model. Converse All-Star Amazon. It's like your regular Converse, except the material they used is more adept for forests and jungles and well, the Amazon. Plus a percentage of the proceeds go to organizations for preserving the Amazon rainforest."

"Perfect timing. We're in Brazil already," Edward noted as he nodded.

"Wait, why's Edward a part?" Emmett interrupted with a full mouth. "I mean, I get why Bella'd by a spokesperson since she doesn't wear anything but Chucks but Edward? I've seen him in more Vans than Converse,"

"You're just jealous 'cause you're not included," Edward retorted like a child. All he needed was to stick his tongue at him. "When's the shit, anyway?"

"After Bella's birthday," Rosalie replied then after some thought, said "Since we're getting into the when's now, let's talk about the schedule,"

She opened her gargantuan purse and began rummaging for her iPad. Once it was out, she began dictating how our lives were going to run for the next days.

"So, tomorrow it's sound check and a few more press work, on the twelfth, it's concert day, then thirteen is Bella's birthday so I still have to make some reservations…are you sure you don't want a party?"

I nodded quickly. "Yeah, definitely. Besides, it's too late to have one. No one could fly to Brazil at such a short notice,"

Rosalie huffed a breath and returned to her iPad. "Where was I…ah, yeah. Okay, birthday dinner on the thirteenth and I guess a rest day for everyone. The Converse shoot's on the sixteenth so you leave for the Amazon on the fifteenth,"

"Only us? You guys aren't coming?" I asked before stabbing another shrimp from my gambas and tossing it in my mouth.

"Well…the Amazon jungle's not exactly my cup of tea, if you know what I mean," Edward coughed "high maintenance" beside me and Rosalie paused to glare at him. "Anyway, me and the boys are going to Rio while you guys are there,"

So just me and Edward, alone in a rainforest…

"Rio de Janero, huh. How do you plan to get there?" Edward thankfully disrupted the flow of my thoughts.

"A plane, of course!" Rosalie replied in a tone that said 'duh'. "How else do we travel?"

Edward scratched his head. "I dunno. You can use a train or a bus or something. It's only a couple of minutes from Sao Paulo, anyway."

"Yes, but I prefer a plane, thank you very much."

"Like I said, high maintenance," he half mumbled half chuckled beside me.

Dinner was finished not too long after and soon, we were back at our hotel.

"_Ask her if she wants to stay awhile. If she wiiiiiiiiiill be loooooooooooooooooooved! If she wiiiiiiiiill be looooooooooooooooooooooooove d!"_

"You get last song syndrome easily, don't you," Edward commented as he closed the door to our room. _She Will Be Loved_was playing in the van on our way back. I laughed and flung myself on the bed.

"Yeah, obviously. Why, you got a problem with that, Cullen?" I teased, sitting up.

"None at all," he smiled and sat next to me. "You have a really good voice,"

I blushed. "I'm sure you tell that to all the tone deaf people,"

Edward chuckled. "No, seriously. You have a nice voice. And you are most definitely not tone deaf. I could probably listen to you all day. Hm, maybe we can even do a duet,"

My hair slapped against my face as my head turned quickly to face him. "What?"

"I said, maybe we can do a duet. You know…a song where two people sing…?"

I rolled my eyes and slapped his laughing face with a pillow. "I know what a duet is, you doof. What I was clarifying was if you were really serious,"

"Course I'm really serious," He sat up straighter. "We could write a new song then record it with both of us singing."

I bit my lip as I thought about his suggestion. I have to admit, singing a duet with Edward was one of my fantasies. There was something intimate about doing a song like that; creating the melody then the lyrics together, looking into each other's eyes like the words were meant for them…

I shook my head before I got completely lost in my own thoughts. I looked back into Edward's green eyes and they conveyed nothing but sincerity and eagerness.

After one last deep breath, I said "I…guess that's a good idea,"

"We're going to do it?"

"Sure. Why not, coconut?"

"Awesome! We have to talk to Rosalie as soon as possible. We're going to have to find a recording studio, then of course, talk to the – "

"Whoa, hold your horses," I laughed, interrupting his rambling. "We don't have to do it right now at this very moment or even here in Brazil,"

"Guess you're right," he replied after a few seconds of silence. "I'm just pretty excited. I've wanted to do a duet for quite a while now,"

"We'll work on the song first before we start jumping into production," I patted his knee before getting up and stretching. "Guess we better get ready for bed. I don't want a repeat of my drowsiness tomorrow,"

"You're sleepy now?"

"Not really, but I'll read or watch TV or something until my eyes get tired or I get bored out of my wits,"

After our nightly routines, Edward and I were settled in bed. About twenty foreign shows later, we both conceded that it was time to go to sleep. I expected to be out like a light in a few seconds, but that didn't turn out to be the case. Instead, I tossed and turned until I tried out every single sleeping position there was. I even kicked Edward accidentally. But apparently, Mr. Cullen slept like a freakin' rock since he just continued to snooze like nothing happened.

After fifteen minutes of what felt like rolling around the bed, I got up and moved around the room while trying to think of some way to wear me out.

Normally, if I were having insomnia issues back home, I'd just play some _Call of Duty_ or watch whatever's on Star Movies or HBO. Hell, sometimes I'd even cook.

But seeing as the PS3 was in the tour bus, the TV might disturb Edward (though that seemed a little unlikely) and I had no ingredients to work with, I had to find some other way to tire my eyes or something.

I figured I could just lip-read and watch television on mute until I literally stumbled upon some boxes. Luckily, I didn't trip but I did stub my toe. After shaking the pain off a bit, I discovered that the boxes were actually the gifts given to me earlier today.

I got down on the floor and began arranging them properly again until I came across _1000 Oceans_again. I lifted the book and scrutinized the cover. After a moment of deliberation, I sighed and made my way over to the loveseat to begin whatever smutfest was in the pages.

Only, it wasn't a smutfest. Farthest from it, actually. It was probably the most angsty-iest plot I've read in a really long time.

The story was about me being physically and verbally abused by my dad (my mother was dead when the story began) and my only friend was none other than Edward Cullen. I was secretly in love with him, too. However, years later when he gets a deal with some Hollywood hotshot, the stardom gets to his head and he abandons me for the lifestyle of the rich and the famous then starts dating some slut.

The fact that it was written in my point of view made the story feel all the more real though the circumstances in real life were way far from this. I was so lost in the story and everything Fanfic Bella felt, I seemed to be feeling too.

"Edward, you freakin' douchebag," I muttered to myself as I read about how he'd reject my phone calls. I guess you can say I was pretty engrossed in that shit since it was about four in the morning when I decided to stop. I just couldn't wait to get to the part where Edward begs my forgiveness and we live happily ever after.

Meh. Anyway, with or without the forgiveness, I decided it would be better if I just went to bed. At least the book did its job since I was asleep seconds after I hit the pillow.

"What were you doing late last night?"

"Eh?" my neck snapped to Edward, who was looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"I said, what were you doing late last night?"

"Er, why?" In my head, I was scrambling to find some kind of an excuse for when he questions the novel with our faces on it.

"You just look so…out of it. And tired. You must've had little sleep last night which means you were doing something," he crossed his arms over his chest expectantly. "Well?"

"I…ah…" I adjusted my guitar strap. "I was reading something,"

"That would explain it," he nodded. "What time did you go to sleep?"

"About…four-ish?"

"That must've been some story,"

"You have no idea," I muttered before yawning.

Thankfully, I managed to live through the entire sound check without casualty. Well, mostly. I did trip on some wires but that happens even when I've gotten a full night's rest.

We were waiting for the van to arrive when the drowsiness began to fester again.

"Meh. Edwaaaaard," I groaned, needing someone to bother.

"What?" he chuckled.

"I'm sleepeh," I told him.

He laughed lightly again before wrapping his arm around me and pulling me closer so I could rest my head on his shoulder. Or at least I assumed I was _supposed_to rest my head on his shoulder. Anyway, Edward had no complains so I didn't bother moving.

I closed my eyes before burying my face into his shoulder. He smelled like fabric conditioner plus the musky but sweet smell of Edward.

I think I must've fallen asleep and they had to carry me to the van because when I woke up, I could feel the hum of the vehicle. My neck felt like shit and I felt like I've been in the same position for way too long. With a small groan, I opened my eyes just to meet the smooth skin of Edward's throat.

I blinked a few times, thinking it was probably still part of my dream, but when I was finally fully conscious, I realized that the chiseled jaw I could see was the real deal.

"Edward?" I whispered my voice pretty hoarse.

I felt his hand run through my hair and I almost purred at the feeling. "Shh. You can go back to sleep, Bella. Looks like we're stuck in traffic for the next half hour or so at this rate,"

His green eyes lingered to the tinted window and I slowly stretched my neck to see what he was talking about.

Heh. It appears we really _were_ going to be stuck in once place for a while. Still, I certainly wasn't going to complain. Not with the position I was in.

I was on Edward's lap with his arms wound around me even despite the fact that I was already awake. I was almost sad when the van started moving again and we reached our destination in no time.

Meanwhile in Fanfic Bella's world, Fanfic Edward becomes the straw that breaks the cattle's back when he doesn't even recognize her after her friend convinces her to crash Edward's party. Now I was getting to the part where he runs after her.

"Bella, aren't you coming to bed?"

Now, those are words I definitely don't mind hearing from Edward.

"Coming dear!" I called out teasingly, deciding that having real life Edward call me to bed was way better than reading about Fanfic Edward chase after me and finally apologize for his completely douche-like attitude.

"What's up," I said as I flopped down on my side of the bed and snuggled under the covers.

"They're playing _Battle Royale."_ He gestured towards the TV. I sat up immediately. I've only read the manga version and from that alone, I could tell the movie was going to be good.

"Japanese or American version?"

"Japanese. I don't think there's an American version of this one,"

"Yes there is. Didn't they make a movie based on the _Hunger Games?"_

"Uh, Bella, they're still making that one,"

"Oh," Heh. I am so out of the loop.

Edward chuckled as the grenade stuck inside a decapitated student's mouth explodes. I cringed a little despite being a fan of gorefests such as _Battle Royale._

"When _we_get herded into an island and are forced to kill each other, we better take out the psychopath first," I gestured to Kiriyama, who was hunting down the protagonists with a machine gun.

After a couple more disturbing scenes, I was cringing again. See, this is why Japanese movies are the best. They're not afraid to show the blood and the violence and even make _me_want to cover my eyes.

Edward was right next to me, but I had a feeling he was watching me more than the TV. I could just imagine how my facial expressions must be amusing him.

"Come here," he murmured after my face contorted weirdly to the scene where Chigusa started stabbing that dude's…yeah.

Without hesitation this time, I crawled across the bed Edward's side. His arms came around and held me against him. I blushed a little – okay, a lot – as I laid my head on his chest, but it didn't seem too different from how I'd wake up most mornings.

When the next gore scene arrived, I buried my face in his chest. The rest of the movie went pretty much like and let me tell you, hiding into Edward Cullen's bare chest was the best way to get rid of any unpleasant emotion. I guarantee you that.

The next morning, both of us woke up in the same position. Surprisingly, it wasn't the least bit awkward and we just carried on like any concert day – a little frazzled and spazzy.

Or at least I was. The stadium we were going to be performing in was abso-fucking-lutely _HUGE._I think it's called the Morumbi stadium and it's so freakin' large, I think they want to use it for FIFA 2014.

_Hooooly shit._

"How are you feeling now that we're on the way to the first show in South America?" Peter asked while we were walking towards the green room.

"Jittery," Jasper replied, shaking his hands at his sides. "I dunno how to explain it, but it's just…you ever had a Taser stuck down your shirt?"

Peter gave a head shake and a laugh.

"Yeah, well that's how I'm feeling,"

"What about you, Bella? What with your birthday being tomorrow,"

"Hah, don't remind me," I replied, breathing in and out deeply once we reached our destination. I made a straight beeline for the pile of cupcakes they had on display and started eating my nervousness away. Or at least trying to. So far, it wasn't doing shit.

"Our last shows were really good," Edward murmured as he paced in front of the sofas. "That means this one could be shit! Man, it's going to be shit,"

He dragged his hand through his bronze locks before his eyebrows furrowed and he started mumbling to himself. Jasper was back to his squats, only this time, deep breaths were added to the exercise. Emmett, on the other hand, was staring absently at the blank wall across him since Rosalie wasn't around yet to distract him.

Well, nice to know I'm not the only one who belongs to the crazy house.

As per my request, Felix had the PS3 from the tour bus taken and brought with us to the green room. We were about half an hour minutes to show time since we got stuck in traffic again and ended up arriving at the concert venue late, but I figured I could squeeze a couple of missions from _MW3._

I was in the middle of playing as FSO agent Andrei Harkov in Turbulence when Edward sat next to me and asked if we could play co-op. I gestured to the other controller without taking my eyes off the screen and soon, both of us were taking down Russian terrorists.

"The Russians are nuts," I declared as the Eifel tower collapsed due to too much missiles being unintentionally launched at it and landed right beside my character into a nearby body of water.

"Yeah, they're pretty much like that in real life too," Edward agreed.

I laughed, thinking he was joking. "Why, you know some of them?"

"Heh. Yeah," He replied in a stiff, cold voice. "Friends of my parents,"

"Did they plan on launching a nuclear war and set World War III into action as well?"

"Not exactly," he mumbled. I raised an eyebrow at him and was about to ask more, but then Tyler arrived with the dreaded silver case. Meh. That meant it was nearly time.

And after what seemed like just five seconds, it _was_time. The stage manager led us through some stairs and more hallways before we were directly behind the stage. As usual, screams from the fans could be heard despite us not even being there yet.

"You ready?" Edward asked as he twirled the mic in his hand.

"Let's do this shit," Emmett rumbled, his game face set and on.

The stadium went completely black and we took our respective positions. After the drum count, some of the pyro exploded from either sides of the stage as the lights went bright and we finally came into view.

The screams turned from buzzing to absolutely deafening as we were finally visible.

The concert went on from seven that night until almost midnight and but the adrenaline rush still ran through my veins. My hands were getting a little stiff, but I ignored that shit and started spraying everyone within range with my water again.

Edward yelled to the crowd in Portuguese and they all went crazy. I looked at Jasper to see if he understood anything and he seemed just as clueless as me. Still, he had a huge smile on his face as he played along.

"It's midnight, Sao Paulo!" Edward called in English this time, though a little out of breath. "You know what that means?"

When he received nothing but intelligible shouts, he wiped his face with a towel then faced me with a sexy smirk on his face.

I couldn't understand what was happening until I heard his voice again.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…"

"Oh my gahd," I closed my eyes and shook my head though the smile on my face won't go away. Pretty soon, the crowd caught on and started singing and clapping with him.

"Happy birthday, dear Bella, happy birthday to you!"

By the time the final line was delivered, Edward was right beside me. After flashing me another sexy grin, he reached towards the side of the stage where a stage hand handed him something I couldn't distinguish until he brought it under the spot light.

"Happy birthday," he greeted me again before handing me a bouquet of some lovely peach colored flowers. I blushed intensely and gave him a very sincere thank you.

However, before I could even finish my words, he leaned forward and kissed me at the cheek then at the neck.

The crowd went bananas after seeing that little PDA and apparently, so did my blush. I was so red, I think I had more color than the flowers Edward gave.

I looked over to Emmett and Jasper who were both laughing hysterically and encouraging the fans to get even crazier.

After a few moments of just standing there while Edward began chuckling as well, I placed my hand on his shoulder and gave him a kiss on the cheek as well. As if that wasn't enough to make everyone shout, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a hug despite my guitar still hanging between us.

All in all, best. Birthday. Evah.

And it was all just starting.


	15. Chapter 15

I was having an awesome dream.

There was a huge buffet table that seemed to have the theme of Bella's Favorite Dishes of All Time. Well, breakfast dishes anyway. The table seemed to stretch for miles and it was covered from end to end with stuff like bacon, pancakes, waffles, cheese omelets…and was that toast I could smell?

I woke up almost immediately and sat up abruptly. It really _was_toast I could smell.

Slowly, I pushed the comforter away from my body and looked around. I briefly glanced at Edward's side to see that he wasn't there. Ah well. He's probably in the bathroom or on the phone with his mystery person. At the moment, I couldn't really bring myself to care since the food seemed more important.

I was about to get up and start hunting when a bronze haired sex god entered the room while rolling a table filled with plates of my dream breakfast feast.

"Morning, birthday girl," he greeted me with his signature sexy smile before setting the table by the foot of the bed.

"Morning," I replied. "Is that for me?"

"Yeah. Consider it Jacob's birthday present," he took a white envelope from the table and handed it to me. "He actually wanted it to be an actual breakfast in bed, but considering how much food this is…" he didn't finish but laughed instead.

I gave him a smirk before hastily ripping the envelope open and reading.

_Dear Bella,_

_Happy birthday! I hope you're enjoying your stay in Brazil. I know I always got you breakfast in bed in the past but since I always ordered that from restaurants, room service should be no different, right?_

_From the world's most awesomest brother,_

_Jacob_

"Oh, yeah. Jacob definitely wrote this," I nodded. "The redundancies make it obvious. His handwriting has improved a lot, though. It almost looks like – "

"Yeah, actually, I wrote that," Edward grinned sheepishly. "He just e-mailed me the message a few nights ago and asked me to buy a card and write it down for him. According to him, it would be more 'intimate' if you received a handwritten card but I don't really see the point since it's not even his handwriting,"

"Well, I appreciate you putting some effort into something that isn't a gift coming from you," I smiled at him. "What you did last night was already more than enough," I blushed as I recalled our blatant PDA session.

He flashed me a grin that made my heart beat twice as fast. "Oh, but that wasn't even my birthday gift. There's more to come, trust me,"

I tried to gather my semblance and find some way to calm my blush. Luckily, my stomach decided it was the perfect time to remind me of the table filled with food.

I crawled my way towards the foot of the bed and picked up a fork, ready to tackle whatever it touched first. I had two bites of the cheese omelet when I noticed Edward sitting on the arm chair by the window, looking at me with an amused expression.

"Um, don't you want any?" I gestured towards the table.

"It's your birthday gift,"

"Yeah, but I feel guilty scarfing all this down when you haven't even had breakfast yet," He opened his mouth to say something – probably protest – but then his stomach groaned loudly.

I grinned at him and got off the bed to tug him by his wrist. "Case closed, Mr. Cullen,"

Eventually, he sat down next to me and joined me in my birthday breakfast pig out. He took the same strategy I did, going for the first thing the fork touched.

We ate in silence for a while, the only sounds being the clink of our stainless forks and spoons against the ceramic plates and the low volume coming from some random Brazilian news channel.

"Bella, have you tasted this yet?" Edward asked as he pointed to some dish thing with cheese and bacon.

"Not yet," I said, though it _did_look pretty good.

"You have to try it. It tastes awesome!" he pushed the bowl closer to me.

"I would love to, but my spoon's a little busy at the moment," I replied, lifting my utensil slightly since it was currently buried in a bowl of strawberry porridge.

Apparently, Edward really wanted me to taste since he dug his fork into the bowl again and held it up to me when it was covered in all its cheesy glory. "Here. Taste,"

I looked at him to see if he was serious. He simply smiled back and pushed the fork outward, encouraging me to take it into my mouth.

_Damn, that sounded so sexual…_

Clearing my head in a matter of seconds, I leaned forward tentatively and did what he asked.

"Mm, you're right. That _does_taste good," I agreed, nodding my head. "You better not finish that all. I wanna have some, too,"

"Then have some more," his fork dove in for round two and was ready for my enjoyment a couple of seconds later.

This time, I scooted closer to him and let my tongue touch the cheese first. It snaked around the utensil before I took it in and ate every single cheesy/bacon-y bit that was there.

"I think I can forget about the porridge now," I joked before laughing a little.

Instead of joining me or making some comment about my somewhat unhealthy obsession with cheese, Edward simply stared at me with his mouth hanging open slightly.

"What?" I asked, feeling very self-conscious.

When he didn't answer, I tried talking again. "Edward? You okay?"

Did I leave some of the food on my lips or something? Good God, that's probably it. Meh. How embarrassing. I licked my lips just to make sure I didn't have some humiliating yellow goop where it wasn't supposed to be.

Instead of getting Edward to be responsive again, his attention simply reverted to my lips. I could feel my blush blossoming.

"I'm sorry, what?" he finally broke out of his stupor.

"Is anything wrong? You kinda…spaced out,"

"Oh. Uh, yeah, yeah, I'm good," his head faced forward while he spoke the words.

The air suddenly became awkward to the extreme and I tried to think of some way to relieve the tension.

"So, um, have you tried any of the strawberry pudding yet?"

He shook his head and at a moment of pure bravery, I retrieved my forgotten spoon and scooped a generous amount before holding it out for him.

His eyes glanced sideways at the spoon then at me. He turned his head slowly before taking the spoon into his mouth.

"How is it?" I asked, feeling the air grow denser, though this time from…sexual tension.

"Delicious," Edward replied, his voice becoming deeper and more…husky. "Can I have some more?"

Oh, honey, you can have _anything_if you ask me in that voice.

I nodded wordlessly before getting him another spoonful. He repeated his earlier actions except this time it was slower and his green eyes pierced through mine, making breathing harder.

I found myself leaning towards him and him doing the same. His eyes were absolutely hypnotizing. My lips parted at their own accord and Edward's look turned…_seductive._

"Aw, the lovebirds are feeding each other!"

And in an instant, the proverbial bubble popped.

Both Edward and I straightened up and looked at Emmett, who was standing by the doorway leading towards the bedroom.

"What is it now, Emmett," I leveled him a glare.

"What? I just wanted to greet the special girl a happy birthday properly!" he widened his eyes and tried to look innocent.

"Greet me properly," I snorted. "Yeah, right,"

"Well, forgive _me_ if I didn't present you with a bouquet of flowers and give you a hickey in front of everybody like Fabio over there, but that's the boyfriend's job. Not the friend's,"

I opened my mouth but no sound came out. Instead, yet another blush spread through my skin as I was reminded of what Fa – erm, Edward did at the concert last night.

"Now that you did what you came for, do you mind leaving now?" Edward shot him a glare of his own.

Emmett's hands came up in surrender as he slowly backed towards the exit. "Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt the breakfast foreplay, bro, but I really _did_come in here to greet Bella a happy birthday,"

When either of us said anything, Emmett gave a big smile. "Anyway, Rosalie also told me to tell you to meet us by the pool deck once you're done getting a few rounds done. So, I'll leave you to it,"

He was out of the door seconds later but still, the silence hung in the air. Helloooooo, awkwardness again.

"So how many times does Emmett watch porn a day exactly?" I asked randomly, trying to break the uncomfortable quietness.

"I dunno. Why?"

"There has to be _some_reason why all he ever thinks about is sex," I reasoned.

"He thinks about music, too. Sometimes,"

I turned my body so I was facing Edward. "You do realize we are talking about the man who once proudly told a magazine interview that his drumsticks are extensions of his schlong, right?"

Edward chuckled and like magic, we were back to being casual again. "Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Man, did Rosalie give him such a hard time after that,"

"I was thinking, too. If we're going to be Converse spokespersons, maybe Emmett should be one for Adidas,"

"Adidas," he repeated. "I don't really see him wearing that brand. What makes you say that?"

"Adidas. A-D-I-D-A-S. All Day I Dream About Sex,"

Edward let out another laugh and he reached over to ruffle my hair. "Where the heck do you come up with this stuff?"

"Yeah, well. You know me. The walking riot,"

We joked around for a bit while finishing what was left of the breakfast. After a while, we got ready to meet the others outside. I silently begged for some strength so I could put up with all the innuendos that are going to be launched our way in a little while. Knowing Emmett, he's already gabbed everything to Jasper, Rosalie and most probably, even Peter.

It was another sunny day and the rays of the sun were glinting off the pool water while we tried to search for the rest of New Moon. We found them eventually and I tried not to groan when I saw Emmett and Jasper's matching suggestive looks.

"Hey, Bella. Happy birthday," Rosalie greeted me as I sat down next to her.

"Thanks," I said, thankful that at least one person in this group won't be giving me hell.

"I'd offer you some breakfast but it looks like you already had one hell of one,"

Meh. Never mind.

"So what's the agenda for today?" Emmett asked as he leaned forward on his knees.

Rosalie remained quiet for a moment before speaking.

"Okay, I know I promised you guys a day off today but unfortunately, that really just isn't possible. I thought all the press work was going to get done tomorrow, but we still have some that are unfinished," She turned to me with an apologetic smile.

I simply shrugged. "No big deal. We can just treat this day like any other day on tour, then,"

"Nonsense. Just because the day's booked doesn't mean that we're forgetting it's your birthday," Rosalie scoffed. "I already made dinner reservations for tonight and we have other plans lined up as well,"

"Yeah and besides, we already got you your gifts," Jasper said then grinned. ""You are going to _love_mine,"

"I'm willing to bet she's going to like mine more," Emmett countered. "It's something she'll really appreciate,"

"Is it privacy?" I asked hopefully while my mind replayed all the times he walked in on me and Edward doing…something.

"Not in your life," he replied with a smirk. "But it does have something in common with privacy. You and Edward would appreciate it _a lot,"_

He started laughing salaciously.

"Well, we'll see who has the best gift," Edward leaned against the back of his chair.

"Hm, looks like we're going to lose, Em," Jasper nudged Emmett lightly. "I bet Edward's going to give her the one she'd like the most,"

"Oh, yeah. I bet it's going to be _hard,"_

"And it's going to be really _attentive,"_

"Not to mention how it's going to – "

"Boys!" Rosalie interrupted though she looked like she was holding back laughter herself. Edward elbowed them simultaneously in the ribs while I just sat there, blushing like a tomato.

Praise God Peter wasn't around yet to attain any recorded evidence.

Speaking of Peter, where was he?

"Where's Peter, by the way?" I asked.

"I gave him the day off," Rosalie replied. "He's taking a tour of the city today, I believe,"

"That's good," I nodded in agreement. "He deserves a break,"

The rest of the band finished their breakfast and soon enough, we were back on the road en route to an interview with a radio station.

Once we arrived at the studio, we were ushered into the green room of the place. Our usual bickering transpired until a Britney song played softly through the overhead speakers.

"Oh, I used to love this song," Rosalie nodded her head in time to _Baby One More Time._

"Yeah. Those were good times, the nineties," I agreed. "A time when songs weren't always crass or about sex,"

"My girlfriend back then loved Britney," Emmett declared suddenly. "She had all her posters on her walls and sometimes I'd as her to wear the same sexy school girl outfit Britney had for the music video. Good times indeed,"

Rose quirked an eyebrow at him though he didn't see since he was too busy closing his eyes and probably reminiscing about whatever kinky shit he used to do with his then girlfriend.

"You have a thing for blondes in pigtails and plaid skirts, baby?"

Emmett's blast to the past was interrupted and he opened his eyes immediately. "I, uh…"

Luckily for the bastard, he was spared when someone knocked on the door. A Brazilian dude with a cap that said 'Buck Fuddy' came in with a big smile on his face.

"_Bom dia,_New Moon!" he greeted. "I'm Miguel, _Aceso Radio's_host. We're very excited to have you on the show today,"

We all stood up and introduced ourselves though it didn't seem necessary since he seemed to have found the New Moon Wikipedia page and researched last night. He even asked about Jacob which was…slightly weird since I never talk about him or any of my personal life really during interviews or anything like that.

"Isabella," he said in his accented English. "It's your birthday today, yes?"

"It's just Bella, and, uh, yeah, it is,"

"Well, I hope you have a wonderful day today. Turning twenty five is something to be celebrated!" Oh yeah. He must've _definitely_Google searched me before we came here.

After a little more chit chat, Miguel informed us that it was almost time for his turn on the air and our awaited interview. According to him, the magnitude of their regular listeners tripled in the past few hours in hopes of hearing us talk.

"Do you mind meeting with a couple of fans and signing their CDs before we begin?" Miguel asked no one in particular as we walked down a hallway.

"Not at all," Edward replied. "Where are they?"

Once we reached the end, a door was opened and deafening screams erupted all at the same time.

"This is a _couple_of fans?" Jasper repeated as cameras flashed from every direction and a multitude of signs and banners called for my attention.

Miguel simply shrugged while we were each handed a black Sharpie. The four of us approached the barricade keeping the screamers from attacking us and signed as much as we could.

Afterwards, we entered the actual studio where we sat across in front of four microphones before putting on the ear pieces prepared for each of us.

Miguel spoke in pure Portuguese for his initial greetings before moving to English so we could actually understand him.

"Now for the interview you've all been waiting for. Right now, at this very moment, I am sitting across world renowned rock band New Moon who is currently in the South American leg of their _Lunar Eclipses_world tour. I know this may be a little too late, but welcome to Brazil!"

"Thank you," Edward replied in behalf of all of us.

"Now today isn't just an ordinary day since we're celebrating what fans on the Internet are calling Bella Day. Happy birthday, Bella," Miguel greeted me again.

"Ah, thanks," I replied with a small smile.

"So any special plans for today? Going out clubbing later?"

"I…honestly, I have no idea," I laughed. "Rosalie, our band manager, had everything planned without me actually knowing anything about it. So…yeah. Everything is definitely going to be a surprise later tonight,"

"Sometimes surprises make things better,"

We moved on to other topics like how the Brazilian fans were and of course, our concert from last night. I braced myself for an onslaught of questions regarding me and Edward's moment but thankfully, the topic was never brought up.

"Okay so we're going to go on a little break but when we come back, New Moon is going to be answering the calls of some lucky fans. For now, here's a hit from the band's_Midnight Curfew_album which peaked number one in the charts last week, _Final Day,"_

And with that, we were given about a five minute break.

Miguel excused himself while we sat there and stretched.

Emmett cleared his throat. "Man. I've never had an interview before where I had to use my vocal chords so much," he commented. "Miguel can really talk, can't he,"

"He's a radio station host. I suppose that's already part of the job description," I pointed out.

Intermission ended soon and we were back on the air a minute later. After giving the usual greetings, the program gave way to the first caller.

"And here's our lucky number one," Miguel hollered.

"Hi," I heard a somewhat timid female voice greet.

Jasper, Emmett, Edward and I gave our "hey's" and "hello's" all at the same time.

"Um, I just called to say that you guys are the greatest band ever and I really, really, _really_love your music."

The next two calls were a lot like the first. They were mostly complements with simple questions like how life on tour is and our favorite books, food, etcetera, etcetera.

"Hey guys," caller number four's voice rang cheerfully. "Before I say anything else, I just wanna say that I'm really ecstatic that I'm actually talking to you. I feel like I'm dreaming,"

"Well, you're definitely awake," Edward answered with a small chuckle. "Do you have a question?"

"Yeah. I saw your concert last night and it was totally awesome. I loved how you greeted Bella a happy birthday, too. So… are you and Bella dating?"

The bluntness of her question left me stunned and I was suddenly glad this wasn't a TV interview. My eyes widened and I tried to think of a way to get out of the question.

"Interesting question. I'd like to know the answer to that myself," Miguel admitted as he leaned against the back of his chair.

Edward turned to me and gave a smirk. "I dunno. _Are_we dating, Bella?"

His eyes had a playful glint and I figured I could play along. "Well, gee, Edward. You haven't declared your undying love for me yet, so…"

"Wait, so I have to declare my love for you before you become my girlfriend?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much,"

"I'll have to remember that," he murmured, his low tone suddenly losing its playfulness. "I guess that answers your question," he said louder. "We're not dating yet, apparently,"

Everyone else in the room laughed but I was still too hung up on Edward's words.

_We're not dating yet._Yet. YET. HE SAID YET!

Okay, so maybe he didn't really mean anything by that, but still! HE SAID YET!

The interview and the rest of the day practically just flew by after that and soon, we were back at the hotel to prep for our night out.

We met Rosalie and the others in a secluded part of the hotel lobby before going into a limousine that would take us to dinner. I was a little surprised to see Peter with us as a friend. It was my first time to see him without a heavy black Canon camera resting on his shoulder.

We arrived at a restaurant I didn't get the name of but it wasn't very formal which a part of my condition was. Actually, it wasn't formal at all. It was very chill and pretty casual which is really more my style.

After the arrival of half our menu on the table, Emmett cleared his throat and stood up before raising his glass.

"I'd like to propose a toast to Miss Isabella Swan. You are one of the greatest musicians I will ever know and one of the hottest chicks I've met. May you have more birthdays to come. To Bella!"

Everyone raised their glasses as well then took swigs of whatever drink they had. We dug into the feast afterwards while having easy and light conversations.

"What did the fans get you?" Jasper asked. "I'm curious. I saw you carrying a lot of boxes the other day,"

I took a big bite of my chicken before answering. "I dunno. I haven't opened them yet,"

"Really?"

"Yeah…I mean, isn't the gift opening not going to be until later? You guys haven't even given yours yet,"

"You don't have to open them all at the same time,"

"Yeah, yeah, but I've always been pretty OCD about shit like that," I said as I remembered Christmases in Forks back when I was seven or eight. I'd always command Jake to pile all his gifts first before opening them.

Jasper was about to comment on that when I felt a phone vibrate. At first I thought it was mine, but then Edward stood up with his iPhone in his hand. He mouthed a 'be right back' before disappearing.

My eyebrows scrunched as I watched his retreating figure. "Do you know who he's talking to?"

Jasper gave a quick shrug. "Beats me. Why?"

"It's just…he's been on his phone a lot even on the plane going here. I'm willing to bet all my guitars that it's the same person every time,"

"Relax. I'm sure it's not some other girl or whatever. It's probably just some family member or…something,"

I wish I could believe him but still, I couldn't shake off the suspicious feeling I had.

Edward returned not too long after with a grin on his face. _Yeah, definitely a family ._

"Where are we going now?" I asked as we exited the restaurant and back into the limo.

"You're going to love the next one," Emmett flashed me a big smile. "Karaoke!"

Good Lord.

"Heh. Be prepared for shattered eardrums then," I warned them all as we drove through the streets of Sao Paulo. They all laughed like I was joking.

We arrived at the place minutes later and I was thankful when I discovered that it wasn't going to be public karaoke or whatever. At least if I were going to sing, only the five people I was with would have to suffer.

"Bella should sing first," Rosalie declared as she got the song book and began looking through the tracks. "Ooh, you should do this one." She pointed to Kelly Clarkson's_Because of You._

I snorted. "Are you kidding me? I can't reach that pitch!" Her initial words came back to me. "And no way in hell am I singing first,"

"That's cool, because the best has to perform first," Emmett scooted closer to Rosalie and looked through the song book with her. "And this shall be my piece," he said after a while. "_Don't Wanna Miss A Thing,"_

"Aerosmith. Nice," Edward approved just as the opening melody began playing.

"That's a pretty hard song," I told Edward. "Steven Tyler's voice is hard to live up to,"

"Oh, I know," he chuckled just as Emmett clutched the mic dramatically to his mouth. "_Ah can stay awake, just to heeeeeeeeeeeeeyah breeeeeaaatheeeeeehuuun!_

"_Watchu smaaahl whal you are sleeepehun. Whal yow faaar awaaay and dreeeeaaaamehun,"_

He continued to try to copy Steven Tyler's voice and it sounded so damn hilarious, I don't know how I've managed to hold in my laughter for so long but after the second chorus, I couldn't help myself anymore. I burst out into loud guffaws and it must have triggered a domino effect with everyone else since they all started laughing with me.

Still, Emmett didn't let that deter him from continuing his belting. He finished with a score of sixty seven.

"Aw, man, my stomach," I wheezed, clutching my gut.

"I really wish I hadn't given Peter the day off," Rosalie carefully wiped the tears from her eyes to avoid smudging her make up. "That would have made a great video,"

Jasper took the mic next. I expected him to pick some sort of a Jason Mraz song or something but then he surprised everyone by picking _Everybody_ by…well, the Backstreet Boys.

"Seriously?" I asked him.

He shrugged like it was what he always picked. "Sure, why not?"

Jasper actually sounded pretty good. I found myself singing back up for him and eventually, we turned out doing a duet. With our combined voices, we managed to get a score of ninety one.

He handed the mic to Edward who was up next. He took it but instead of entering the song number of his choice, he simply crossed his arms over his chest.

"That's not fair," he said.

"What's not?" I clarified.

"Jasper gets to sing with you but I don't?"

I blinked a few times. "You…uh…want me to sing with you?"

Edward smiled and handed me his mic before reaching for the second. Meanwhile, Emmett made suggestive sounds in the background.

"So what song are we doing?"

"Well, this thing only has a really limited number of duets so…"

The first piano notes of Evanescence's _Bring Me to Life_filtered through the speakers and I began panicking.

"Edward, we can't sing this! A majority of the song is for the girl and I can't really sing!"

"Yes you can. Look, the lyrics are already there," he pointed to the screen.

I really didn't have much of a choice other than to try my best not to embarrass myself. In the end, though Edward only did parts of the chorus and the bridge, we got a score of ninety eight.

"Damn, Bella, that was pretty good," Emmett sounded seriously awed.

"Yeah. You and Edward should really record a duet for real," Rosalie agreed.

"Actually…we already talked about that," I admitted. "We figured we can write a new song then maybe…"

"That's a great idea! I'll get in touch with the record company ASAP,"

Peter performed next despite his protests and was followed by Rosalie. Both of them had awesome voices as well. We sang a few random songs afterwards then when our vocal chords couldn't take it anymore, we made our way back to the hotel for the gift opening.

I opened the ones given by the fans first. Most of them were standard guitarist stuff like guitar picks, strings, a cool guitar strap that was customized with my name and all of them were pretty rockin' but was especially joyed at the three gift certificates to the Hershey's Chocolate Emporium.

"Our gifts next," Rosalie declared with a grin as she handed me a box decorated in black and purple bows and wrapping paper. "This is from me and Emmett,"

"You're gonna love it, Bells," Emmett hollered as I tore through the paper. I opened the box only to encounter a lot of crepe paper or whatever the heck you call it. After tearing through what seemed like the fifth layer, I finally saw my gift.

Fuckin' hell. Alice wasn't kidding when she said that lingerie was coming my way one way or the other.

There, sitting in the middle of a sea of purple paper was a black, lacy…something. I didn't dare bring it out of the box to find out if it was a one piece or…something worse.

"You're blushing," Edward observed. "That has to be something good, then. What is it?"

My blushing intensified and I quickly pushed the papers over the skimpy piece of cloth. Jasper and Emmett busted into loud guffaws at my reaction and I gave them both the finger. Edward simply looked confused.

"So what did I tell ya? As good as privacy, right?" Emmett said between the laughter.

I simply glared at him, not entirely sure how to respond without revealing what it was inside the box.

"Can we just…move on to the next gift please?" I asked.

Peter stepped forward with a small, simple box in his hands. "Happy birthday," he greeted me as he handed it over.

I gave him a smile and a thank you before opening it. I smiled when I saw that it was three new cook books from Paula Deen.

"Our gift next," Jasper said as he lifted a huge ass box onto the bed. "Alice told me that I was in charge of the gift selection this year, so…here's what I picked,"

Curious, I quickly clawed my way through the blue wrapping paper to see portions of a green and black box with an X on it.

"You got me an X-Box?" I yelled. It was the only game console I didn't own yet.

"An X-Box _and_ an X-Box Kinect," Jasper corrected with a grin. "Happy birthday, Bells,"

"Oh my God, I love you!" I cried, throwing my arms over his neck. "I'm serious. If you aren't married right now, I would so run off with you,"

Edward chuckled beside me. "If I had known getting you a game console would get that kind of reaction from you, I would've gotten you a PS3 Slim,"

"Oh, Edward," I ruffled his hair. "I'm sure your gift would be just as awesome,"

"Yeah, Eddie. Where is it anyway?" Rosalie asked as he eyed Edward's empty hands.

"I…I think it's better if I gave it to you when…we're alone," His green eyes smoldered again. Emmett and Jasper gave loud and obnoxious cat calls.

"I know what it is! Birthday se-"

"Oh-kaaay, we're going to go now," Rosalie abruptly stood up. "Happy birthday, Bella. Enjoy your…gifts," she gave an Emmett-ish smile before grabbing Emmett's hand and towing him out of our room.

"Bye Bella! Be sure to use me and Rosie's gift properly!"

I blushed again as Peter and Jasper gave less insufferable goodbyes and closed the door behind them.

The atmosphere became silent for a while before Edward finally cleared his throat.

"I wasn't really sure about what to get you for your birthday," he started. "I thought about it a lot and in the end, I finally settled on this.

"It's not something you're accustomed to getting but…I figured it would be a nice surprise,"

He reached into his pocket to reveal a velvet box. He opened it to reveal a bracelet with a single heart charm dangling from it.

I literally gasped.

"Oh, Edward…it's beautiful," I reached over and ran a finger through it. "But this must've been really expensive. You shouldn't have wasted so much –"

"A gift for you is never a waste of money," he interrupted with a soft smile. "And this didn't cost me a dime, believe me. Well, aside from the shipping cost and how much I spent on the overseas phone calls,"

"So all this time…you were on your phone because…because of this?"

He nodded. "Yes. I wanted to make sure it got here on time. In fact, it just arrived in the hotel while we were having dinner,"

I couldn't find any words to reply to that. Edward reached over to take my wrist. "May I?" he asked and I nodded, giving him permission to slip the bracelet on me.

"It looks good on you," he commented as the pendant threw off the light coming from the overhead bulbs.

"It's so beautiful," I said again. After another moment of admiring it, I leaned forward and gave Edward a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you,"

Edward gave a dazzling smile and kissed my forehead then the top of my head. "You're welcome,"

Looks like Miguel was right. Surprises _do_make things better.


	16. Chapter 16

"Would it seem ridiculous if I wear band merch?"

"No. Why? You're wearing a New Moon shirt?"

"Uh, yeah," I said as I stood in front of the bathroom mirror. We were set to leave for the airport in about an hour and I didn't have any clean shirts left. So, like any resourceful person, I snuck into the tour bus the night before and dug through the boxes of merchandise at the back to find me a random shirt.

I don't know if it was fate trying to tell me something or whatever, but the apparel I just happened to have grabbed was one with Edward's face on it.

I exited the bathroom and headed straight to my bag while thinking that Edward wouldn't notice what – or _who –_was on my shirt but of course we all know that didn't really happen.

"Is that my face?" he let out a chuckle after he forced me to turn around and face him. I glared at him and he just laughed harder.

"What? It's not like I picked this on purpose," I adjusted the fabric self consciously.

"Oh really."

"Yes, really,"

"Please. I bet you chose that one because you love me and want to marry me," Edward laughed again before shaking his head and going back to his packing.

Le gasp. How did you know?

Meh. But of course, I didn't say that out loud. Instead I mumbled something even I couldn't understand under my breath and zipped my bag close.

"Nice shirt, Bella," Jasper commented with a stupid grin when we joined them for breakfast.

"What can I say? I'm his biggest fan," I rolled my eyes to contribute to the sarcasm.

"After the hours of hard fucking, I guess I wouldn't blame you," Emmett snickered. I groaned and ran a hand through my hair.

"I told you, we were playing _Just Dance!"_

After Edward gave me the bracelet, we decided to test out Jasper's gift. Edward figured I'd make a fool of myself if we played _Just Dance_or _Dance Central_but lo and behold bitch, I managed to beat his score in all the songs we danced to.

"How can you dance that well? I thought you didn't take the lessons," he stared at me with awe when we stopped for a water break. "You don't even bother trying to dance in clubs and shit!"

"Okay, first of all, I _didn't_take the lessons and second, I don't try because Lord knows I can physically damage a lot of people in actual dance floors,"

"You didn't do anything to me,"

"Well, yeah, because this is a game. There's a scoring system and everything. And you know how I hate losing in video games,"

"So let me get this straight. You'll do anything – even _dancing_– as long as it's monitored by a game console and there's a score to beat?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much,"

He smirked. "Well, then. I'll admit I wasn't taking playing seriously before but now that I know you're game, let's do this for real,"

And for real we did. I think we danced to every single song both those games had and we didn't stop until it was already three thirty in the morning.

The day afterward was absolute hell. Because I was a lazy slob and didn't even do as much as jog around my yard in the morning, my body was absolutely sore everywhere. It didn't help that I didn't do any warm up exercises either. I literally couldn't move and even sneezing was painful for my stomach.

I figured I'd have company in my misery since Edward didn't warm up either, but neeeeeeein. He just _had_to be used to strenuous activities and was all fine and dandy.

When I told Edward to inform everyone that I couldn't even get out of bed for breakfast, they all rushed to my side immediately. I guess I understood. The only time I'd pass up an opportunity to eat was…well, never.

"It hurts when I try to sit up," I groaned, covering my head with the comforter but slowly, since raising my arms was also painful.

"Damn, Edward. How hard did you do her last night?"

My arms immediately removed the blanket from my face and I tried not to wince at the burn. "What?"

"I'm just sayin'. For you to be _this_sore has got to mean hardcore lovin'. Good job, Eddie," Emmett patted Edward at the back.

"When is your mind _never_about sex?" Edward complained. "Bella's sore because we played with the Kinect last night!"

"Mm-hm. Whatever you say, man,"

And up until right now, that's still what the idiot drawls whenever we try to reiterate the truth.

"You're okay now though, right?" Rosalie clarified.

I shrugged and waved her off. "I'm good. Still a few kinks here and there but I'll survive,"

"Good. Okay, so you guys are spending two days there before coming to meet us at Rio. We'll take off for the airport in about forty five minutes," she said, glancing at her watch.

"So, uh, where's Peter going to be hanging around while we're separated?" I asked, looking at our cameraman who was, as usual, going about his breakfast silently.

"I'll be with Miss Rosalie's group," Peter replied. "Converse has their own camera crew to take care of the shooting,"

When everyone was done with their breakfast, we gathered our belongings once again and headed for the tour bus.

"Where do you plan to leave this?" Edward asked from one of the leather seats.

"Actually, we'll be taking this with us to Rio," Rosalie replied, holding her head up. "I decided it would be best if we just drove there instead of flying,"

Minutes later, we arrived at the airport where we were instantly recognized and were swarmed by fans and some paps. A lot of them noticed my Ed-shirt (which was its new name) and asked where I got it or if I had it specially made.

"Isn't this shirt available online or something?" I asked Rosalie after we checked our baggage in. "I'm getting concerned with the amount of people who are making such a big festival of it,"

Rose smirked. "Actually, it's not. We aren't selling that until the Santiago concert. I love how you've already modeled it, though,"

I huffed, already thinking about how many gossip blogs/shows/whatevers would be declaring that the Ed-shirt was a symbol of my love for him.

Well, I really _did_love Edward but it's not like I picked the shirt just to show that. Eh. Nothing I can do about it now.

Since Jasper, Emmett and Rose had to check in their hotel in about thirty minutes, they left us at the gate after reiterating our schedule for the nth time. Since the trip and all the accommodations were paid for by Converse, all Edward and I had to do was just claim them.

We were about to get in line when my phone rang.

"City jail,"

"Bells?"

"Oh hey Jake. What's up?"

"Nothing. Just felt like talking,"

I looked at my watch to see that it was quarter to nine in the morning. Sao Paulo was six hours earlier than Los Angeles so it must've been about four in the morning there.

"It's like four AM there. Is something wrong?" He must be at some party getting wasted. I strained my ears to listen further. There didn't seem to be any music or noises at the background and he sounded sober anyway so maybe he just couldn't sleep.

"Do you have insomnia?" I asked. Jacob still didn't reply and I was beginning to think he had tried his hand again (and failed again, I might add) in prank calling. I was about to hang up when he suddenly decided to speak.

"I have something to tell you,"

"Aww, Jake," I groaned, my mind immediately thinking of the worst. "First you auction off my guitars then you break my stove. What's next, you burn my house down? Oh God, you did, didn't you?"

Edward turned suddenly to look at me with a concerned expression.

"No! No, it's nothing like that. Your house is fine!"

"Then what have you destroyed this time? My PS3? My computer? My Harley? If you did as much as scratch that thing, I swear on my life, I'm going to – "

"Me and Nessie got married," he blurted.

I stopped my rambling and my eyebrows shot up. "Oh. Really? Congratulations, then, bro. Good for you."

There was a pause. "Wait, so you're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad? It's your wedding. If you wanted to invite the entire state of California to a gargantuan church for the ceremony or just run off to Vegas, I'm cool with it."

"But I…I didn't invite you."

I shrugged. "Like I said, it's your wedding. You have power over the guest list as well. What did you do, anyway? Do it in front of a judge or a Vegas chapel?"

"Vegas," he replied. "It was a spur of the moment decision. We decided that we couldn't wait anymore so…here we are,"

"I see. When did you get hitched?"

"Two days ago," he admitted. He let out a breath. "Man, I can't believe you're not mad. I expected you to start flipping out or some shit,"

"Nah," I said. "Charlie and Renee would, though. Probably. I bet they didn't even know you were engaged in the first place,"

"Fuck, you're right," Jacob cursed.

"I'll leave you to deal with that. Later, bro," I hung up on before he could say anything else.

"What's up?" Edward asked, still with that concerned mask on his face.

I shrugged. "Jacob and Nes got hitched. Ran off to Sin City like a couple of impatient teenagers,"

"And he was scared about how you were going to react?"

"Yeah. I'm seriously down with anything he wants as long as it makes him happy…and if it's legal, of course. I think I'm the first one Jacob's told, though. It appears that he couldn't sleep because of a guilty conscience or something,"

Edward chuckled. "I don't blame him. My mother would kill me if she found out I got married without telling her,"

I laughed with him. "I think my parents would have the same reaction. I had to bail before he could convince me to be the bearer of bad news,"

As soon as we got our tickets, it's like the crowd suddenly realized we were there then started hounding us. Luckily, Felix stuck around and kept everyone in control. Eventually, we ended up sitting at one of the less obvious seats in the waiting area.

It wasn't long before our flight arrived. We were flying from Sao Paulo to Manaus, one of the Amazon cities. We were staying there for the night before taking off for the great Amazon rainforest.

"Who's meeting us at the airport again?" I asked as we settled in our first class seats.

"Some dude named Lee," Edward replied. "I'm sure we'll find him eventually once we get there,"

Take off didn't happen long afterward and soon we were in the air for the next three and a half hours. We landed in Manaus at around noon and as usual, I was starving.

"Mister Cullen! Miss Swan!"

Both Edward and I turned at the sound of our names being called. What idiot would do that in the middle of a crowded airport?

Apparently, that idiot was Lee Jennings, our overeager guide and the product manager's assistant. He rushed over to us in the waiting area with a huge banner reading 'WELCOME, EDWARD CULLEN AND BELLA SWAN!'

Dude, can you be any more obvious? Didn't Rosalie mention that we preferred people _didn't_know we were going to be here?

"Uh, hi," I said, nodding slowly when he finally stood in front of us.

"I'm Lee, by the way. Lee Jennings," he said in a manner that reminded me of Ron Weasley in the first _Harry Potter_flick.

"Yeah, we were told you were here to pick us up," Edward replied with an amused smile on his face.

"Great! So, uh, do you need help with your luggage?"

Despite his slight… spazziness, Lee was pretty alright. Save for the fact that he has a creepy crush on me.

"You were absolutely striking in the last Video Music Awards," he said with a weird ass look in his eyes as we made our way to our hotel.

"I…ah…thank you," I managed to force an awkward smile out before scooting closer to Edward. He laughed quietly and placed an arm at the backrest of my seat.

Still, that wasn't enough to deter Mr. Creepazoid from making more remarks about my 'dazzling face' and 'radiant skin'. I was beyond grateful to the heavens when he handed us our electronic key cards and said goodbye after informing us that a car would be over to pick us up at around eleven AM the next day.

"Well. Wasn't Lee extremely – "

"Do not even think of finishing that thought," I all but growled.

Edward just laughed anyway. "What? I was going to say 'Wasn't Lee extremely… _hospitable_',"

"Uh-uh. Sure." I deadpanned. "Seriously. What the heck was up with that? I mean, his compliments would've probably sounded normal if he said it like any other person but with that obsessed-ish tone plus that stalker look," I cringed and shivered.

Again, Edward let out a chuckle and patted my back comfortingly.

I half expected us to stay in the same room, but it appeared that that wasn't what Rosalie told the people of Converse. I was staying at 1221 and Edward was in 1223. Eh. At least we weren't that far from each other; his room was just across mine.

Edward offered to help me get settled in my room and moved my bags from the living room to the bedroom. I couldn't help the tingly feeling that shot through me while I watched him. He was such a gentleman and I think I fell in love with him a little more.

"You wanna have lunch at my room for a while?" he asked when he was done.

"Sure. I'd love to," I said as I followed him out of my room and into his.

"Later we can go out and have a look around," Edward thought aloud as he sat on his large white bed and switched the TV on.

I plopped down next to him and untied my shoes. "Sure, if I don't feel too lazy,"

"Come on, it'll be fun. We can check out some restaurants then buy a couple of souvenirs. Maybe we'd even get to see the sunset in one of the beaches," he gave me a dazzling smile that melted my resolve to ashes. "It'll be like a date,"

My heart rate accelerated and I opened my mouth but no sound came out.

_Edward Cullen asked me out on a date!_

Well, there was that one time we had lunch in that Italian place, but I'll bet he only took me out since he was alone and figured that I was the only pathetic one to not have any plans at the moment.

"Uh…well, yeah. Okay, I'll go," I tried not to look too eager but I had a feeling I was failing at doing so.

"Awesome," Edward's smile grew bigger and he turned back to the TV which was playing some random Brazilian soap opera.

After we had lunch, Edward decided it was a good time to start our sightseeing.

"Man, it's really hot," I commented when we exited the hotel.

"Maybe you shouldn't have worn black," Edward looked over my dark colored Ramones shirt. "That color only makes the heat worse,"

"Eh. I'll live," I decided and started walking in a random direction. It seemed impractical to go back in the hotel and climb how many floors just to change my top.

"You shouldn't have changed out of your old shirt," Edward grinned as he walked beside me. "I liked having my face on your chest,"

I blushed at his obvious sexual innuendo and he just laughed.

"What? That shirt was white," he shrugged and his smile grew more teasing.

"Tell you what. I'll make you a deal. I'll wear that shirt again if you wear one with my face on it too," I propositioned to him jokingly.

"Sure thing. Do they have Bella shirts in blue? It's my favorite color,"

I looked at his face just to see that he was dead serious. I raised an eyebrow. "You'd seriously wear a shirt with my face on it?"

"Why not? It'd be fun if I wore it the same time you'd wear the shirt with mine,"

I chuckled and shook my head. "I'd bet we'd look weird,"

"So?"

"Good point. Let's do it. I can imagine the headlines now. _New Moon's Edward and Bella: In love! The Matching Shirts Say it All!"_I chuckled some more.

"In love, huh," Edward sounded a bit smug beside me and I immediately blushed at my choice of words.

"I, uh, saw it in a magazine cover once," I muttered, remembering that _InTouch_magazine. Or was that _Star…_like it mattered, anyway.

"Really? When did they print something like that?"

"Uh…a few months ago? I dunno, I don't really remember. Just saw it by passing," I lied.

"Huh. Interesting," was all Edward said, looking anywhere but my face.

Now that just got me bothered. Interesting how? Interesting as in you totally agree and you're in love with me too, or interesting, as in that headline is a piece of bullshit and is a total lie?

Well not a _total_lie. I mean, _I_ was in love with him.

The topic was dropped when we somehow ended up in front of a shop that sold graphic and statement tees.

We spent the rest of the day having fun. A couple of people stopped us for autographs and pictures but other than that, we weren't really bothered throughout the whole excursion.

Time practically flew by and soon enough, we were back at the hotel.

"You wanna play some X-box before calling it a night?" I opened the door to my hotel room and basically invited him in. I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet.

Edward's answering smile was stunning. "Definitely. And don't think I'd let you win in anything,"

I smirked. "Good. That means if you lose – which you will – it won't be because you meant for it to happen but because you just suck,"

We played _Gran Turismo 5_and _Halo_but stayed away from any of the Kinect games. Lord knows the last thing I need for tomorrow's shoot was a sore body.

It was around quarter to one when Edward decided to call it a night.

"We're going to need rest if we're expected to hike through a rainforest," he said with a small smile. "Get some sleep, Bella. I'll see you in the morning," he kissed the top of my head then closed the door behind him.

I stared at the door for a long time while having an internal debate about whether or not I should run after Edward and tell him that I couldn't sleep without him. Not that I've tried, but I'm willing to bet that that was going to be the case.

I sighed before digging through my luggage in search of _1000 Oceans._I've had it buried at the very bottom of my bags (wedged between my pile of bras and panties) just in case someone would have to search through my stuff.

In the story, fanfic Edward finally realizes who I was and what a tool he's been then gets on with the groveling and the apologizing. Fanfic Bella reluctantly forgives him and now he's trying to win her back. I was getting to the part where they were going out on their first date when someone knocked on the door.

My eyebrows furrowed and I looked at my iPhone to check the time. It was one o'clock in the flippin' morning. Did I order room service and forget about it or something?

I shoved the book under the bed before stretching and getting up to answer the door.

My steps slowed as I neared the entrance to my suite. Maybe it was some prankster who just happened to feel attracted to my door. I decided it would be smarter if I looked through the peephole first.

Mere seconds after I did, I wretched the door open hastily to see Edward standing in the hallway in his usual sleep attire, except this time with a shirt.

"Edward? What's wrong?" I was immediately concerned.

"Um, no, nothing's wrong,"

"Well…come in, then," I made the entry way wider and got out of the way as Edward set foot in my room for the third time. He sat on one of the plush couches and I moved to sit next to him.

"I…it's just I can't sleep," he said as his hand went through his hair. He went silent for a few seconds before speaking again. "I guess I got used to sleeping next to you,"

"I…me too," I admitted with a blush. Hell, I didn't even bother trying to sleep since I knew it would be useless anyway.

Edward's eyes suddenly snapped to mine with such intensity that I could feel myself melting.

"You can stay with me," I said before analyzing what I just uttered. "I mean, if you want,"

"Of course I want," he replied before giving me a big smile. He stood up and offered his hand for me to take. When I did, he pulled me up and led me back to the bedroom.

The next morning, the car Lee sent arrived at eleven o'clock on the dot to take us to the docks. Instead of a plane, we were using a boat to get to the rainforest.

The trip to the Amazon was surprisingly easy. It was my first time travelling by water, but it was all good mostly because Edward kept distracting me with his lingering touches and heartbreaking smiles.

Also because Lee's boss kept him busy on the phone for a majority of the time.

We reached the majestic Amazon rainforest a couple of hours later and were greeted by a camera crew. Apparently, filming the behind the scenes footage was already to begin. I guess having Peter around for all those months made having a camera follow you around seem normal.

Once we were settled in our…what did they call it? _Jungle lounge,_we took a boat to the location of our shoot.

"Mister Cullen, miss Swan. Pleasure to finally meet you," Eleazar, our photographer, held out a tanned hand once we were in sight. "Eleazar Santini,"

We shook hands and exchanged other pleasantries. I remembered some of Eleazar's work. He used to take nature shots for _National Geographic_ and even the _Discovery Channel_before he switched to commercial photography and became the most sought after photographer for landscape and terrain photo shoots.

"Alright, then. Hair and make-up will be right in those tents," he pointed us to a three white party tents that stood out in the middle of the green scenery. "And once you're done, my assistant will take you to me. That sound good?"

"Awesome," I nodded and followed Edward to the tents. Hair and make-up didn't take too long since we were going for the whole au natural vibe what with being in the middle of a freakin' rainforest.

"You're outfit's hanging in the dressing room," Cynthia, the make-up artist, told me once I was primped.

"Thanks," I hopped up from my seat and made my way over.

The first thing I noticed was the pair of Converse Amazons that were sitting on top of their box. It had a fatigue pattern, high cut and was overall, pretty cool. I was in the middle of stripping when I finally noticed what outfit was supposed to go with the shoes.

A pair of tight, black capris pants and a tan-ish bikini rested on some hangers and I couldn't help but look for the shirt that went with the whole ensemble. When I couldn't find any (I even looked inside the Converse box), I opened the screen a little and called Cynthia's attention.

"Psst! Cynthia!" I whisper-shouted which was kinda pointless since other people heard me, too.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, immediately coming over.

"No, it's just…okay, yes something's wrong. I think you forgot to hang the shirt,"

"What shirt?"

"The shirt. As in, the shirt that's supposed to go with this," I revealed myself more to show that I was already wearing the bikini, pants and shoes.

Cynthia chuckled. "Oh, Miss Swan. That outfit's already complete. There _is_ no shirt,"

My eyes widened. "What?"

"You look fabulous," she gushed, pulling me out of my hiding place. "The dark colors bring out your lovely skin tone,"

"Damn, Bella, is that you?"

I looked over Cynthia's head to see Edward watching me. He came closer and eyed my body from head to foot appreciatively.

"That outfit…you look…" he let out a breath. "Damn,"

"Uh, thanks," I smiled, feeling a blush erupt. "You look...pretty handsome yourself,"

And he did. Edward was in some cropped pants as well plus a tight black wife beater that embraced his muscles. Even Cynthia couldn't help but stare.

Eleazar's assistant came to pick us up and brought us to an area where the trees were really high and the air seemed almost green from how the sun shone through the canopy above.

The first few shots were pretty standard fashion poses; leaning against the adjacent sides of a huge tree trunk, poised over rocks, lying on the ground, and so on and so forth.

"Hm," Eleazar looked had his thinking face on as we surveyed the shots we took. "Okay, so far this stuff is great but we need something with a little more…ooph, if you know what I mean,"

"What do you have in mind?" Edward asked.

Eleazar grinned. "I hope you two warmed up because we're going to be tree climbing,"

The crew found a good looking tree (I don't know how they picked that one; they all looked the same to me) that we could use and Eleazar began barking instructions.

"Okay, Edward, you're going to be poised over that branch up there," Eleazar pointed to a branch. "Don't worry, we'll be using a harness and everything. And as for you, Bella," he looked at me. "I want you to climb on Edward's back,"

Without waiting for me to reply, he shouted "Alright people! Let's get to work!"

It took quite a bit of effort to get everyone that high off the ground on such unstable terrain but we managed to do it anyway. Once Edward and I were both standing on the branch Eleazar wanted, he motioned for me to do as I was told.

Edward gave an encouraging smile when I put a hand on his shoulder and hesitantly tried to lift myself up on his back. His hands supported my legs immediately and I felt an electric shock buzz through me when he touched the bare skin of my calf. The feeling grew stronger when the skin of my chest met that of his back through the thin material of the accursed bikini.

Sweet mercy. Please don't let him feel how hard my nipples are.

"Okay, that position looks good, but Bella, can you rest your head on Edward's shoulder? Yeah, like that. And Edward, if you can just move a little to your left,"

Edward obeyed his instructions and I felt the branch dip beneath us from our weight. The movement still surprised me and I locked Edward's body in a choke hold.

"Whoa, easy there, princess," he chuckled when he felt me suddenly tighten my hold. "You're not going to fall,"

"I'm not afraid of heights," I told him but as I looked down from where we were, I got a little dizzy then tightened my grasp even more.

Edward laughed lightly again. "Of course you're not," he said as his hand rubbed calming circles on the skin of my arm.

More pictures of us on the tree were taken and while the poses were all varied, all of them involved Edward and I touching. Eleazar said something about the picture being better when we were together.

And in real life, the picture really _was_better when Edward and I were together.


	17. Chapter 17

"Say goodbye to the warmth, bitches. Freezing cold, here we come!"

Emmett grinned as he shoved his carry on into the compartment above the seats but not before taking out a parka and tossing it on his seat.

The South American tour came to a close sooner than I had expected. After the Converse shoot, everything just…whizzed by and before I knew it, we were on the plane headed to Leipzig, Germany to begin the European adventure.

We had spent a few extra weeks in South America to accommodate holidays like Thanksgiving and to do some press work as the new Converse spokespersons so December was just suddenly thrust to us seemingly out of nowhere.

Just like Alice's due date.

"I am not going to miss my son's birthday," Jasper declared for the sixtieth time as he sat down with his Blackberry at hand. "I _will_go home when it's time for Alice to – "

"Yes, you're allowed to go back to the States for that but only when it's not going to interfere with a show," Rosalie interrupted as she tinkered with her iPad.

I pitied Rosalie. With the extra weeks we had to stay and some other delays in the tour, she had one hell of a job rearranging our schedules. She had anticipated the entire thing to be done by now but a couple of unexpected circumstances just messed with the schedule a lot.

In the end, as decreed by Rosalie, our first European stop was at Germany instead of France since someone else was scheduled to perform at the concert stadium there at this time. Also, there was now a possibility of concerts being held back what with baby Whitlock's impending arrival.

"In case the new plan plays out flawlessly, where would we be spending Christmas?" I asked.

"Christmas…Christmas…"Rosalie snapped her fingers as if trying to remember something. "Christmas would probably be in Paris. After Leipzig, we're off to Switzerland then France."

"Awesome," I nodded before settling in my seat.

Edward suddenly grumbled beside me. I turned my head to him with a questioning look.

"Is something wrong?"

He shook his head and sighed at the same time. "Nothing. I just don't feel like spending Christmas in Paris,"

"Huh. I thought you wanted to go to France," I scratched my head as I recalled how he mentioned before that Paris was the place he was most excited about.

"Well, yeah, sure, but spending Christmas there…" he made a face.

"What's wrong with Paris, anyway?" I asked curiously.

"It's not like there's anything generally _wrong_with the place. It's just that…it's…you know…" he trailed off while making vague hand gestures, hoping I would understand.

I didn't.

"Just…yeah," Edward finished when I continued to look at him with a confused expression. I shrugged and let it go.

"Wait, so we aren't going home for the holidays?" Jasper asked, finally catching on on the conversation.

"Sorry, but no. We've wasted enough time as it is and the tour really needs to get going already,"

Jasper scratched his head frustratingly.

I can imagine how hard it must be for him, having to be working instead of spending Christmas with his son and wife. That was definitely a down side of being a rock star: you have to sacrifice family time and you time for concerts, tours, press work and whatever.

"Man this has been one hell of a tour," I commented as I stretched in my seat.

"And it's not even finished yet," Edward chuckled softly while shaking his head.

"You guys have heard of _Midnight Sun,_right?"Rosalie suddenly asked from her seat in front of us.

"_Midnight Sun,_"

"Yeah. The book,"

I thought about it for a while before finally remembering what Rosalie was referring to. "Oooh. You mean that vampire romance story thing," I nodded. "Yeah, I've read that one. What about it?"

"They want New Moon to do a song for the official sound track,"

"An OST for a book?" Emmett asked.

I could practically hear Rosalie rolling her eyes. "Of course not, you doof. They're making a film adaptation,"

"Ah," I replied. "Why do they want us to do one though? _Midnight Sun_seems kinda…off of our usual…uh, client list,"

"Well, duh, Bella, it's because of our awesomeness, of course," Emmett replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What's the story, anyway?" Edward asked me as he nudged me with his elbow to get my attention. "I've never read it,"

"It's about a human girl who falls in love with a vampire," Jasper told him for me. "It's kinda stupid, I know. The girl seriously has no sense of self preservation,"

I turned my head to look past Edward and at Jasper who was at the other aisle. "You've read it?"

He simply shrugged. "Alice made me,"

"It wasn't stupid," Rosalie argued. "Jaymes and Thomas' love story is anything but stupid. I thought the plot was very original and it was really romantic. Sometimes I wish I had a dashing, handsome, polite and gentlemanly vampire," she glanced at Emmett who was too busy playing with the buttons overhead to pay attention.

I swear it was like the man had the attention span of a turkey.

"It was emo bullshit," Jasper rolled his eyes. "The guy was too self –sacrificing!"

"And what's wrong with that?" Edward inquired. "In my opinion, if you love the person and she's worth it, then death would be something you'd welcome with open arms just to keep her safe," he glanced sideways at me and gave a small smile.

"Thank you, Edward," Rose threw an arm out as if to show that Edward totally got the point.

"Man, you sounded exactly like that bloodsucker," Jasper shook his head. "Maybe you should play him in the movie. You'd be a shoe-in for the part,"

I laughed and nodded in agreement. If there was anyone who had the right to play the part of a sexy, brooding, loving, graceful, strong and well, _perfect,_vampire, it was definitely Edward. He was pale enough to pull it off anyway.

"And you," Jasper pointed a finger at me. "You'd be good to play the part of the girl, too,"

I snorted. "What?"

"Let's see. She's stubborn, clumsy, a constant danger magnet and had been a little…_reluctant_ to show her feelings for _certain people_," he gave me a look as he put emphasis on those words. "Sounds a lot like Bella Swan to me,"

I rolled my eyes though that character _did_seem to have a lot of my characteristics.

Meh. But she got the heart of her true love at the end of the book. Hell, in the middle of the book, even. I wondered when I would get mine. If I ever got mine, anyway.

The rest of the first class seats were occupied while we waited for the plane to take off. We were looking at about a ten hour flight from Venezuela to Germany.

Soon enough, we were all instructed to turn off all electronic gadgets and to pay attention to the screens and the attendants who performed the same routine I've been seeing for months now.

Once we were airborne, Peter had his camera out again and decided to have some sort of an interview in the clouds.

"What do you think about doing _Midnight Sun's_official sound track?" he asked, angling the lens towards me and Edward.

"I think it's a good idea," Edward replied. "I haven't really read the book yet but the story seems interesting and judging by the botched summaries I've heard," he stopped talking for a second to smirk at Jasper. "It seems like a good plot. And with the kind of devotion the vampire has for his human love, it shouldn't be hard to come up with lyrics and a melody,"

"I guess I agree," I piped up. "It seems like too good an opportunity to pass up,"

"Hey, maybe we can make this our duet," Edward suggested. "This is perfect! We can make a love song and have both of us do vocals. You can do both guitar and vocals, right?"

"Well, I can do both at the same time, but like I told you before, my singing isn't singing at all. It's wailing,"

"Nonsense," Rosalie said though she was out of the frame. "You have a beautiful voice, Bella. I think Edward's idea is brilliant. You two should start coming up with something,"

Edward gave me a dazzling smile with an excited twinkle in his eye. I smiled at him back before nodding and saying "I suppose we can start working already,"

We spent about half of the flight searching about _Midnight Sun._Edward found a PDF file of the books since the thing was a saga and all that jazz and was pretty much buried in it until we landed. He barely said a word to anyone except when he'd rarely complain to me about an event he didn't want to happen.

"Why didn't he just take Jaymes and run? That would've been a lot smarter if you ask me," Edward said as he pulled his carry on from the compartment above our heads.

"Funny. That's how Jacob reacted to the baseball scene too," I mused as I pulled on a thick leather jacket.

"Jake's read this too?"

"Well sure. He's pretty much as whipped as Jasper and when Nes suggested he look into it, he bought all four books from Barnes and Noble the very next hour."

"Huh. Guess I just never took Jacob as the type who'd read vampire novels,"

"Yeah, well the guy's more of a werewolf fan, anyway," I shrugged and followed him out of the plane.

Since we took off from Caracas at around six in the evening, we reached Frankfurt at around four in the morning. Still, that didn't deter the paparazzi from snapping pictures of us as our feet made contact with concrete again.

Our new tour bus was a lot like the one we used in South America with the two floors and the sky light. It was warm inside too, which I was thankful for since the outside world was just abso – friggin – lutely freezing.

"_Don't be jealous of mah boogeh, don't be jealous of mah boogie, you can say that you are not but ah always see you looken',"_

"And what would be this 'boogie' of which you speak of?" Emmett asked with an amused expression as we settled down inside the bus.

"The nonexistent one," I replied.

"You've been singing that song since we got off the plane," Jasper whined before lying down in his coffin.

"Well, while Eddie over here was reading the hell out of his iPad, I watched three whole seasons of _RuPaul's Drag Race._Thus the LSS," I said with a shrug before lying down in mine as well.

"I dunno what's worse. That ridiculous show or that stupid book," Jasper bitched while his arm covered his eyes.

I turned my head to look at Edward who was sitting at the coffin across from mine. "Why didn't you guys tell me today's the first day of his period?"

Edward just chuckled and shook his head, not really knowing how to respond to that.

We stayed up for a couple more minutes but eventually fell asleep from the fatigue caused by yet another day of rockstardom. The next time I opened my eyes, the sky was a bleary mixture of grey and blue.

The bus wasn't in motion anymore and I felt a horrible case of jetlag. I looked at my watch but after realizing that it had Venezuelan time, I dropped my arm and tried to go back to sleep. After a few minutes of trying and still not being able to catch some more Z's, I got up slowly and stretched.

The rest of the band was still asleep but I made no effort to make myself silent as I went downstairs in search of some breakfast. I'd still probably be noisy even if I tried to be quiet anyway.

I made myself some coffee and was in the middle of microwaving three s'mores flavored Pop Tarts at the same time when I heard footsteps clamber down the stairs.

"What time is it?" a disheveled looking Edward asked as he yawned and ran a hand through his already ridiculously messy hair. He scratched his side as he looked out the window. "And where the hell are we?"

"Uh…"I lost coherency for a long second as I stared at his perfection. How can someone who hasn't taken a shower yet and had the world's most messed up locks look so damn hot at this hour in the morning?

"A gas station," I eventually blurted out as I looked out the window instead. "Looks like we're still not in Leipzig,"

"Mm. What do you have there?" he asked, stalking closer. The microwave just finished heating up my Tarts at the same time and I took out the hot plate quickly.

"Breakfast," I told him, sitting down on one of the leather seats. "You want any?"

"Sure. Do you have any coffee?" he sat down on the chair across me and I went to go pour him a cup.

"Man was my dream weird last night," Edward mumbled before taking a sip.

"All our dreams are weird," I said, but then after a few moments of thinking, added "Well, except the one where Emmett was dancing with Jasper. That one was just plain disturbing,"

Edward chuckled. "You had a dream like that?"

"Unfortunately," I cringed as I thought of it again. "So what did you dream about?"

"I guess my subconscious took Jasper's suggestion seriously. I dreamt that I was Thomas. You know, as in the vampire in _Midnight Sun._Anyway, I was running through some forest looking for something, but I wasn't sure what,"

"I see," I said. "Maybe you were looking for your Jaymes?"

His green eyes slowly made their way to mine and I could feel my heart beating twice as fast again. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, uh, you…have you read _Aphelion_ yet? _Midnight Sun's_sequel?"

He nodded. "I've read until _Equinox_yesterday_."_He was referring to the third book.

I nodded. "Yeah. So um, you know that Thomas left Jaymes in that book. Said goodbye in the forest and all that. Maybe you wanted Thomas to come back to her,"

Edward remained silent for a while before taking another sip of his coffee. I bit into the second Pop Tart while I waited.

"I suppose I did," he finally spoke again. "But I understood Thomas' reason for leaving. Protecting her has got to be the number one priority," Again, his eyes commenced the smoldering sequence.

"Yeah, but wasn't that a bad way of doing it? It only hurt her and she almost ended up with that werewolf kid," I argued, trying to ignore the way his look made my heart flutter. "Besides, by leaving Jaymes, Thomas just made her even more unprotected and vulnerable since he wasn't around to fend off the bad guys anymore,"

"You make it sound like Thomas is a superhero,"

"Well he was never actually the bad guy. And even if he was, Jaymes wouldn't have cared. Her love for him is unconditional and runs…really deep, "

"Thomas feels the same way,"

Were we still talking about _Midnight Sun?_

Edward and I were unconsciously leaning into each other across the table and I could feel my skin igniting in flames form the proximity. I dropped my eyes to his lips and I tried to imagine how it would be if I'd get to taste them.

I was left to kept imagining since a noise upstairs broke our bubble and we sat back in our seats. Eventually, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie and Peter made their way downstairs, talking loudly (save for Peter, who was just filming the whole thing) and arguing about God knows what.

_Motherfuckin' cockblockers._

We continued on with our journey to Frankfurt – which was about two hours away – only having to stop again once because Emmett caught a sudden case of motion sickness and had to throw up at the side of the road. Apparently bus bathroom made him even sicker.

I immediately asked him if he was pregnant as well.

He just flipped me off.

We eventually made it to our hotel and were greeted by yet another mob of fans, some of whom were even crying when they caught sight of Edward's bronze hair. I was impressed by their ability to get up early in the morning and to brave the cold weather.

"Aren't they cold or something?" Jasper inquired as he tightened his coat around his body. "It's most probably below negative five degrees!"

"Nah, I'm sure the excitement of seeing us plus that overwhelming amount of body heat from jumping around and squishing each other are keeping them all warm," Edward said.

"Man, can we please get some actual breakfast before anything else?" Emmett complained as his stomach grumbled. "I'm starving here!"

"I agree," I nodded as my own belly growled at me to feed it. It's like the seven other Pop Tarts plus the sandwiches I had just disappeared.

We signed a few things and took a couple of pictures before telling the staff to get our shit to our rooms while we ate. The breakfast buffet place wasn't that full but that still didn't warrant not getting recognized.

"Do we always have to discuss our schedules over meal times?" Emmett asked as Rosalie brought out her iPad which only meant that.

"Well, we're together and seated at one place during meals so that's a good time like any other," Rose responded as she began flipping through the touch screen.

"Okay, so we have sound check tomorrow, concert the next day then interviews on the days to follow. First one is with the TV show….yeah, okay, I don't know how to pronounce this but anyway, you're doing a sit down with them plus for some newspapers and a couple more shows,"

I reached up to scratch my nose while Rose tried her hand at speaking German. The movement caused the lighting to glint off the bracelet Edward gave and it reflected momentarily to the ceiling and a few other places like Rosalie's and Jasper's faces.

They've already noticed my now favorite piece of jewelry before but never reacted except by giving me suggestive smiles.

However, Emmett also apparently caught the glint of the diamond and was now looking at me with his innuendo face. Being the child that he was, he never noticed the thing even when it was practically a disco ball on my wrist what with the Brazilian sun constantly shining on it.

"Well, well, well," he lifted an eyebrow before grabbing my arm and yanking it forward so that the bracelet was exposed for all to see. "Lookie what we have here!"

"Seriously, Emmett? We've all seen that before," Rosalie tried to pry Emmett's meaty claw off of my thing wrist. "Now get your paws off of her. You're blocking me from my plate!"

"What do you mean you've seen it before? And what's with the attitude? That must've come from Eddie over here!"

"It _did_come from Eddie over there," Jasper replied. "He gave it to her for her birthday,"

This revelation made Emmett pause. "Birthday? As in last September?"

"No shit, Sherlock,"

"How come it's only now I've seen it?"

"That's a mystery yet to be solved, Emmett," Jasper shook his head, chuckling softly. "We can probably start by trying to see what's wrong with your brain,"

Emmett decided to retaliate by flicking some scrambled eggs at Jasper's hair.

"Da heck, bro?"

"What? It's not like anyone's going to notice. Don't you know that your hair's egg colored?"

I laughed at the bickering and poor Rosalie's attempt to calm both oafs down like a mother and her overgrown children.

But when I felt Edward's hand reach out for my wrist, I stopped and looked over at where he sat next to me.

He simple offered me a small smile as his fingers felt the bracelet against my skin. I mouthed him another 'thank you' for the most awesome gift I've ever received.

Sound check and concert day felt like they happened all too fast. It was probably because we've already covered this area in a previous concert, but still I was a bit disoriented as I thought of how fast the days have passed.

As of the moment, Emmett, Jasper, Edward and I were backstage of the show _Wetten Dass..?_the German counterpart of the States' _Wanna Bet?_We were just awaiting our cue from the in-ear translators we had plugged into our lobes since everything was going to be in German.

"_So let's give a huge welcome to international rock sensation, New Moon!"_

Edward stepped out of the shadows first followed by me then the other two yahoos. The crowd gave a lot of standing ovations as we came into view and were led to sit on a long sofa together with the hosts.

"_I'm going to try my hand in English,"_the blonde host, Michelle, said before anyone could say anything else. "Hello Edward, Emmett, Bella and Jasper. Welcome to _Wetten Dass..?_!"

She still had her accent going and she still pronounced the w in welcome as v, but other than that, it was pretty aight. Everyone else agreed as they applauded her attempt.

"_So I understand this isn't your first time in Germany,"_Michelle spoke again but this time, in her mother tongue.

"Yeah. We were here a couple of months ago for the European tour, though we never went to Leipzig," Edward turned to look at me. "Did we?"

I had to think a little before answering. _"_Nein. We only performed in Hamburg, Frankfurt…uh, and Munich."

"_Oh you can speak German?"_Thomas, the other host, asked when he caught my use of the German word for 'no'.

"Um, not exactly," I laughed. "A little, yeah. But not like…fluently."

He laughed. "_What can you say then? Just a few words or phrases will do,"_

I scratched my neck while I thought. "Just the basics, I guess. Guten tag, danke, bitte…uh, scheisse?"

Everyone laughed when I mentioned the German translation of 'shit'. I shrugged. Of course curse words were going to fall under 'basics' for me.

"_At least you know the essentials,"_Michelle nodded. "_Are you of European descent? Isabella is Italian, yes?"_

Ah, here we go again. The most commonly asked question since high school. "Yeah, but just partially. My grandparents from my mother's side migrated to the States from Capri,"

"_I see. What about Edward? I believe you're from Ireland?"_

Edward chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "My ancestors were originally from Irish land but they eventually moved to England and spread the Cullen name there,"

Whoa, okay, hold up a sec. Edward was English? Well damn, that just figured. He had that Brit charm going for him. Plus that certainly explained why his sex hair was bronze colored.

_I think that fact ups his hotness factor by…oh say, a hundred thousand points?_

"You should say something in a British accent," Emmett nudged Edward's shoulder with his. "That ought to make for fine entertainment,"

The crowd agreed then began chanting 'do it' in clear English. Edward simply smiled for a while but eventually complied.

"Alright, alright, fine. What do you want me to say?"

"Say something like…" Emmett got his thinking face on before turning to Jasper for any helpful suggestions.

"'Bella is amazing and I love her'?" Jasper grinned while raising an eyebrow at us. I bit my bottom lip as I looked down and let my blush just expose itself to the world. My heart began to beat faster and louder and I wondered if the sound would be broadcasted throughout all the countries that had the show.

Edward laughed while the mob cried and shouted in agreement. I began to wonder if they filled the audience with team Bedward/Edwella people.

I was too busy watching the mob that I didn't notice Edward turn in his seat to face me so I was pretty startled when I turned just to see a pair of blazing green eyes bearing down on my soul.

"Bella is amazing and I love her,"

My blush got a hell of a lot worse as Edward smirked then winked at me after saying those words in the sexiest English accent I have ever heard.

_Holy shit. Make that a gazillion points!_

Thankfully, I didn't have to hear much reaction since the game was already scheduled to go underway.

For the episode, the four of us had to bet on whether or not a nine year old Swiss girl could distinguish at least five out of seven fruits just by hearing it being smushed by a hammer.

Emmett immediately placed the same bet as Jasper – which was the girl couldn't do it – all the while claiming that some of Alice's psychic mojo has rubbed off on him. Edward and I bet the opposite.

If you think that a game of placing bets like that is simple, you are damn wrong. It was so nerve wracking! Especially since the ones who placed the losing guesses had to do something fairly humiliating.

I watched as a passion fruit was placed on the marble pedestal before it was obliterated to pulpy globs by one giant ass hammer. Nine year old Camilla stood a few feet away with her blind fold on, dutifully listening.

She just stood there silently for a pretty long time and I could feel myself getting more wound up. If I lost, that meant I had to honor my side of the bargain and perform an impromptu dance routine to whatever the hell they'd choose to play.

And trust me, I do _NOT_wanna do that.

"_Is it…"_Camilla spoke and I gripped Edward's arm as I awaited her answer.

_Passion fruit passion fruit passion fruit…_

"_Passion fruit?"_

I did an internal fist pump and breathed out through my mouth, releasing Edward's arm in the process then tried to loosen myself up.

"That's one. Jasper, Emmett, you better watch it. You might end up doing the River dance," Thomas taunted in English to my band mates who were now also beginning to panic.

When the next fruit arrived – a melon – I went through the same routine again and it was like that every time a new fruit was placed on the pedestal.

Soon, Camilla's score was four correct answers out of six. If she gets the last one wrong, I am doomed. I mean, I guess I can do something with actual dance music but what if they gave something that's appropriate for burlesque performances?

Scheisse.

I bit my bottom lip as a single orange was in position, ready to be crushed. The hammer did its job of mushing it to bits and now it was Camilla's turn to do hers by guessing what fruit it was.

I was holding my breath as she thought long and hard about her answer. And I do mean long. I had to breathe again if I didn't want to pass out.

"_Uhm…that was a…"_

_Say orange…_

"_Pomelo?"_

My mouth opened in a completely shocked 'o' and I could hear the audience laughing at my reaction. But I couldn't give less of a shit about that. _She freakin' said pomelo!_

"_Are you sure about that?"_Michelle asked instead of declaring a grinning Jasper and Emmett the winners.

"_Um…"_Camilla stalled again.

"_Orange?"_

Yes! Thank you God!

"_Is that your final answer?"_

The little girl thought again before finally nodding slowly.

"_And the correct answer is indeed orange!"_

"YES!" I shouted audibly this time before hugging the nearest person to me in complete relief.

That person just happened to be Edward.

I felt him chuckle before hugging me back. The crowd began swooning and screaming things again but I was a little too focused on winning the bet and Edward's strong English arms around me to care at the moment.

"_Lucky you! You won't have to do the dance and you won't have to do a rap,"_Thomas laughed as he addressed Edward and I. "_However, Jasper and Emmett now have to do the Irish River dance,"_

I guffawed when the music began to play and New Moon's smartass bassist and drummer fumbled their way through the dance. Jasper bumped into Emmett twice but Emmett didn't seem to notice since he was trying to concentrate on making his feet do some actual steps.

The show ended with a live performance from us plus a small signing and photo session with the audience. When everything was over, I was tired but happy as we sat inside the van that took us back to our hotel.

"That was fun," Rose commented while we were stuck in traffic. "That has got to be the most entertaining show you've guys have been in so far,"

"Yeah. Europeans can be pretty nuts in coming up with ideas for…well, anything really," Edward nodded.

"You would know seeing as you are one,"

"No wonder you're hair's so weird," Emmett shook his head, chuckling. "And the accent was awesome, by the way. It sounded very real,"

"That's because it w_as_real, you moron," Jasper rolled his eyes.

I laughed as they bickered like usual but in all honesty, it wasn't really in what accent Edward spoke in but the words he spoke that mattered to me.

_Bella, you are amazing and I love you._


	18. Chapter 18

"_But you said it yourself! The world must first be cleansed with fire."_

"_But that's not what I want now."_

"_Alessa…don't you want happiness? Have you become blind to the hopeless suffering in the world? We need! We all need god's salvation!"_

"OH. MY. GAWED!"

I looked around the room to figure out where that voice came from because that sure as hell didn't come from Heather Mason or Claudia Wolf or anyone from _Silent Hill 3_, really.

I knew I should've probably been creeped out or some shit – I was playing a survival horror game in the middle of the night alone for Pete's sakes – but my nonexistent fear remained nonexistent when Rosalie suddenly burst into the game room on the second floor of the tour bus, her voice still squealing with 'oh my god's' over and over again.

"Something I can help you with, Rose?" I asked her as I eyed the iPad in her hands. I was the resident tech geek of the place and therefore the number one go to place when shit needed hacking or just plain whacking.

"Oh my god, Bella!" she shouted at me instead.

"Okay, okay! You got my attention!" I reached forward and turned the PS2 off before holding my hands in surrender. "What is it?"

"You made it!"

"I made what?"

"You made the top of the list!"

"Can you just please get specific alre – "

"You're rock and roll's hottest woman of the year!"

Both my eyebrows shot up and remained that way for a really long time before eventually, one came down and I ended up looking at Rosalie incredulously.

"What? I'm freakin' serious! Look!"

She sat down next to me so enthusiastically I practically bounced off the couch. She shoved her iPad in front of me and my eyes automatically scanned the text.

Well damn, she wasn't lying.

There, written in bold black writing, were the words _BELLA SWAN: HOTTEST CHICK OF ROCK 'N' ROLL._

Below it was a solo shot of me from the Converse ad where I was in the water with my pants rolled up until it reached a little above my knees. I remembered that shot. That was the one wherein they told me I should try to look tough yet alluring at the same time.

I figured I looked like a duck even with all the effort I put in.

And I'm willing to bet I did but they just worked their Photoshop magic to make me look like – even I have to admit – one seductive bitch.

Right below that one was my solo vampire shot from the _GQ_shoot. Though the heels were dangerous as hell, I had to hand it to them. They made my legs look pretty long.

"Dayum," I commented, scratching the back of my neck before looking at the person/organization which must've been high that thought I was _sexy._"_Rolling Stones_must be on crack,"

I mean really. You do not associate Bella Swan and the word 'sexy.' Ever. It's just wrong.

Rose snorted beside me. "Bitch please. You seriously look down on yourself too much. Look at that body and tell me you don't see a smokin' figure," she gestured towards my troll face shirt and jean clad body.

"Okay," I said, looking at myself quickly. "I don't see a smokin' figure,"

She rolled her eyes. "You're seriously too modest. This is awesome!"

"What is?"

We both turned to see Edward standing by the doorway looking haggard. He went to bed a couple of hours ago since he was too tired from running from a mob of girls who chased him thirteen blocks further into Zurich earlier today.

Well, it was his own damn fault. We _told_him to take Demetri or Felix with him but the dude just _had_to insist on adding up his macho points by pointing out that he could go get a few candy bars alone.

"Edward, look at this! Bella's hottest woman of the year!"

"Really? Lemme see,"

I let out a breath as Edward sat down next to Rosalie and looked at the article.

"Can't say I'm surprised. This was bound to happen sooner or later," he gave me his signature dazzling smile after a while.

"I, uh, thanks," I mumbled, blushing and looking down.

"I'm going to expect phone calls from _Rolling Stones_about photoshoots and interviews," Rose declared as she stood up. "I'll leave you two lovebirds to celebrate,"

She gave an Emmett-ish innuendo face before leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.

"Congratulations," Edward grinned at me again before scooting closer.

I barked a short laugh and shook my head. "That has got to be the biggest joke ever,"

"You really don't see yourself clearly," he commented as he draped his arm over the back of the sofa behind me.

His proximity brought butterflies to my stomach again and made my heart race for its life and I couldn't help but feel yet another unnecessary blush cover my skin. Edward noticed as his hand reached out to touch the traces of pink on my cheek.

"So how about you? You still tired?" I asked, trying to distract myself from the way his touch increased blood circulation acceleration.

Edward laughed and shrugged, dropping his hand. "I'll live. It was a…good work out,"

I reached over and buried my hand in his hair. "Eh. I'm sure you're pretty used to shit like that already. You've got women falling on their knees…but then back up on their feet so they could chase you through the town's central business district,"

He laughed again as he leaned his head towards my hand. "What do you want for Christmas?"

"I dunno. Haven't really thought of that yet," I said. "Why?"

"You really don't look at calendars, do you," Edward shook his head. "Christmas is in a week, Bella,"

My eyes widened. "No shit?"

"Shit."

"Shit!" I repeated. "I haven't gotten anyone gifts yet!"

"You and me both, my dear, you and me both," my heart fluttered at his term of endearment. "I suppose this means we're going to be panic buying,"

"As usual," I let out a deep breath. "I don't know why I'm so surprised. This isn't the first time I've had to buy gifts last minute,"

Edward chuckled. "When was the last time?"

"Last Christmas," I admitted while my brain tried to configure a schedule for me to go out and shop. Concert was three days from today which means sound check was in two. Maybe I can squeeze in a couple of mall hours afterwards…

"Wait so you got me those graphic shirts last Christmas out of rushing?" Edward interrupted my planning.

I nodded slowly. "Yeaaaaah…"

"Impressive," he replied. "You managed to get me the best present even then,"

"You thought they were the best?" I parroted.

He shrugged. "Sure. Didn't I tell you that even back then?"

"Well, you did but I figured you felt sorry for my tired ass for going through the trouble of running from shop to shop looking for gifts on Christmas eve,"

"I wasn't," Edward reassured me. "I was serious."

"And besides, there was that watch Lauren got you which was, what, a couple of thousand bucks?"

He shook his head. "That watch might have been expensive but there wasn't a sentiment behind it. She just made her personal shopper pick it up,"

I watched his forehead wrinkle at the mention of his ex while he continued his speech. "You, at least, had the…the…_Christmas spirit_to endure the holiday rush mob just to find me a gift."

Huh. Guess I never saw it that way.

"Guess I never saw it that way," I said aloud.

"Well, now you know," his face smoothened and the heart breaking smile returned. "You can get me anything for Christmas and I'll appreciate it because I know you put a lot of effort into getting it for me,"

"Good to know," I smiled, ruffling his hair again while another inexplicable blush made itself known. "No pressure in gift hunting then,"

Time always flew by when I spent time with Edward and that sentiment proved itself true yet again when the bus suddenly stopped and Jasper knocked on the door, signaling that it was time to get out.

We had one round of signing and picture taking with the fans waiting for us outside our hotel before we went inside to check in. Rose was handling the business in the front desk while we hung around the sofas in the lobby.

"I'm so craving gingerbread right now," Emmett declared as he eyed the giant Christmas tree in the center of the floor which was decorated with gingerbread figures.

"Meh. Me too," I nodded, looking at the life size gingerbread house next to the tree.

"You think they'll notice if we chip off a piece of the chimney?"

"Even if they did, I'd still go for some," Emmett replied as he began to stand up, completely serious about my suggestion.

"Well, what are we waiting for the-"

"Edward! Daaahling! There you are!"

The four of us stopped what we were doing and turned to see a middle aged woman in a tight red dress and an overwhelming amount of diamonds on her neck, wrists and fingers. Her brown hair was held by a tight bun and her heels looked like they could snap at any moment.

"We were worried we arrived at the wrong hotel!"

"Mother? What the fu-_hell_are you doing here?" Edward replied, totally shocked.

Mother? _That was his freakin' mother?_Holy shit, she didn't look a day over thirty.

"Is that any way to greet me, young man?" she retorted, coming closer and giving Edward an awkward hug. "It _is_Christmas, after all,"

"But…didn't you go on that Mediterranean cruise or some sh- something?"

"And miss seeing my little boy on the holidays? Not likely, dahling,"

I suddenly remembered the conversation Edward and I had in Sao Paulo. He said something along the lines of his mother being too controlling of him and judging from what I can see, she seems like just the type.

I bit my bottom lip and looked at Jasper and Emmett. Never did I ever believe I'd find an actual person who says 'dahling.' As in without the 'r'. The only time I heard anyone talk like that was when I watched _101 Dalmatians_with Jake.

Emmett caught sight of my face and gave a small snicker at my facial expression. This caught Mrs. Cullen's attention and she looked passed Edward and right at me.

"Why Edward, I thought I taught you better manners than this," she tutted. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

Edward grudgingly turned around and gestured to us one by one. "Mother, this is Emmett, Jasper and Bella. Guys, this is my mom, Esme,"

"Charmed, I'm sure," she said, her British accent turning snobbish. She eyed all three of us critically while we gave our 'pleasant to meet you's.'

"Oh yes. I remember you now. Members of Edward's boy band,"

Uh, excuse me? Bitch say what now? _Boy band? Seriously?_

"Where's dad?" Edward drew attention on himself again before Mama Esme could claw at us some more. "He's with you, right?"

"Of course dahling. Where else would he be?" And as if on cue, a handsome blond man turned a corner and began making his way towards us.

Oh yeah, that has _got_to be Edward's dad. The amazing emerald green eyes and chiseled jaw were kinda dead giveaways.

"Edward! Good to see you again, son,"

"Uh, yeah. You too, dad," Edward replied a bit too tight lipped. "Guys, this is my dad, Carlisle. Dad, these are my band mates, Jasper, Emmett and Bella,"

"Nice to meet all of you in person," Carlisle smiled as he came closer. "I've only seen you kids on television and YouTube,"

Unlike Mrs. Bitchface in the corner, Carlisle actually shook our hands and was pretty friendly. Looks like Edward inherited more than his physical features from Papa Cullen which I was thankful for.

"Sorry I took so long," Rosalie finally reappeared just as Esme opened her mouth to say something. "The lady at the front desk somehow mixed up the rooms or some shit,"

"Oh sorry," Edward quickly jumped in. "Mom, Dad, this is Rose. She's our band manager and Emmett's girlfriend. Rose, these are my parents,"

"Oh! Didn't see you guys there. Rosalie Hale," Rose smiled and reached her hand over.

Thus, the awkward silence commenced. We sorta just stood there in the middle of the busy hotel lobby looking anywhere but each other.

I caught Edward's eye for a second and he looked at me apologetically. I gave him a small smile.

"Well, I'd hate to ruin the family reunion but I really need to get the band to dinner. We have a lot of plans to discuss," Rose gave another smile before her body poised to sprint towards the hotel restaurant.

"Dinner? Oh I insist you come with us, then. We just had our entrees in that establishment and the food was just _below_ standard." Esme gave a laugh. We've dined in this hotel in the least European tour and the food was anything _but_below standard. Their lobster tails were freakin' awesome!

"Err, that's okay, mother. We'll just eat here," Edward could probably sense how hesitant we all were to take Esme up on her offer.

"Nonsense. You're eating with us. Our treat,"

"I agree with your mother. It's been a while since we've seen you, Edward," Carlisle placed a hand on his wife's bare shoulder.

"And whose fault is that?" Edward muttered so silently beside me, I was sure I was the only one who heard.

"What was that, dahling?"

"Nothing, mother. I said, fine, we'll have dinner with you,"

And so, for the next two hours, we were immersed into the life and times of Esme Cullen. I swear to God above, I have never heard anyone talk about herself for so long.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel weird sitting there while my ear was talked off about how fabulous Greece was. Edward could feel how uncomfortable I was so his hand reached out to hold mine.

I smiled at him and mouthed a 'thanks' before waiting for the continuation of the Esme and Carlisle Mediterranean Adventure show.

But there wasn't a continuation, which was a big surprise. I looked over to Esme who was staring at our twined hands. A blush immediately came and I tried to pull away, but Edward had a strong grip.

"Irina is here by the way," Esme told Edward but looked at me. "She is just _ecstatic_to see you!"

Edward growled silently beside me and I felt his hand tense.

"Who's Irina?" Emmett asked.

"Why, I'm surprised you've never heard of her, dahling. She's Edward's fiancée!"

Jasper did a literal spit take and I heard Rosalie gasp. As for me, I…didn't have a reaction. Seriously. I just sat there, unmoving, trying to ignore the way my heart was screaming in pain.

Edward suddenly stood up. "Can we just _go_please?"

Without waiting for anyone to react, he grabbed my hand and pulled me through the restaurant. People were staring and without a doubt, this was going to end up in some magazine or blog by tomorrow.

"Edward, please. Slow down," I pleaded while I tried to keep up with him. His legs were too damn long and he was moving at such a high speed I really didn't have a chance.

"Dude, wait up!" Jasper called out when we were in the parking lot. "Come on! We have to wait for Rose. She had to call the driver to come pick us up,"

He finally stopped moving and I almost crashed into his back. I looked into his green eyes to see that anger was still very evident in them.

Thankfully, the black van that was meant to pick us up showed up not too long afterwards and took his to the hotel. Rosalie gave us our keys when we got there and told us to just clear our heads of all drama for the press work tomorrow.

We dispersed quickly to our respective rooms after that.

"Edward? You okay?" I asked meekly as soon as we were alone. I didn't know why I asked since it was so obvious that he wasn't but that question was pretty standard for someone who was just seething mad.

"See, this is exactly why I wasn't that happy about spending Christmas in Paris," he ranted instead. "Because _they're_here!"

"They…aren't that bad," I suppose if they gave birth and raised a son like Edward, they weren't totally evil. "And besides, we'll be spending our time here doing band stuff, anyway, so you won't get to see them that mu-"

"And Irina's here too! How splendid!"

My heart lurched again at the mention of that wretched name.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Your uh, fiancée," I mumbled. I wondered how and when exactly did Edward get engaged since he dated Lauren for how long.

Edward stopped his moving around the room and looked at me. "What? No, Bella, fuck. No. We were never engaged and never will be."

"But your mom-"

"Do _not_ever listen to a word that comes out of her mouth," he commanded before sitting next to me.

"Then can you please explain? I'm getting confused,"

Edward took a deep breath before running a hand through his hair.

"I told you before my mother can be really controlling. She already had a job set up for me and apparently the 'perfect girl'" he made sure to use air quotes on that one. "Irina's…nice sometimes, I guess, and a lot of people call her attractive but I've just never felt the draw.

"Still, she was pushed on me a lot so one day, I just couldn't take it – any of it – anymore. I jumped on the first plane going to the States. I was just around fourteen back then so I had to live with some relatives but eventually, my parents followed me here. They moved back to England when I was dead set on making a career in music and well, here we are now,"

"That must've really sucked," I commented. "Won't your dad do anything, though? I mean, yeah, I guess your mom wears the pants in _that_relationship, but doesn't he get a say in things?"

"Oh he gets a say. He just doesn't use it. He's such a push-over,"

"It's okay, bro," I patted his back comfortingly. "I feel for you. My mom's pretty much like yours so I've had to live with that for a while too. Thank Jesus she shipped me off to Charlie before I started becoming rebellious,"

Edward chuckled and pulled me in for a hug. "Thanks for being here, Bella."

I blushed and grinned though he couldn't see either. "No problem."

For the next two days, Edward's parents made themselves scarce which was definitely a good thing since we didn't really need them distracting us from our purpose of being in Paris.

On concert day, we were in the middle of yet another round of jitters when Carlisle came knocking on the green room door.

"Your mother and I are really sorry about what happened at dinner last time," he said to Edward who just stood there wordlessly. "We want to make it up to you. Please come to our annual Christmas Ball. Everyone in the band is invited as well," Carlisle looked over at me and gave a smile.

Edward looked like he was about to disagree but Carlisle was one stubborn son of a bitch. He stood there and continued to try to convince Edward until the stage manager called us for the concert.

"Fine," Edward finally agreed just as we were about to exit the room. "But mother better be in her best behavior. If she doesn't, we're out of there,"

The concert carried out successfully though I noticed the slight change in Edward. He seemed a little too…tense than usual.

"I'm fine," he replied when I asked him about it. "I'm just beginning to regret agreeing to go to that stupid party,"

"Oh come on. It can't be _that_bad," I said, already thinking of the food they'd be serving. "Is it a buffet style ball?"

Edward laughed and ruffled my hair. "Of course _you'd_ be thinking of the food,"

"Well what else is there about a party to be excited about?"

The next day, Esme invited everyone over to her Paris mansion where the ball was going to be held. Apparently, she wanted to get our opinions about the place since was having doubts about the flowers and the linens.

Opinions. Shyeah right. I'd bet she just wanted to show off.

Not that what she had wasn't worth showing off. The house was huge! I stared in awe at the high ceilings, the pristine marble floors and the massive winding staircase that dominated the front room. Even the picture frames looked expensive.

"We'll be having the party here," she took us through some huge ass double doors and into the ballroom. People were moving around carrying flowers and rearranging chairs as Esme turned to face us. "So what do you think?"

"It's really beauti-"

"Esme!"

"Irina, dahling! You're back!" Esme gushed as a tall, blond woman entered the room. They met at the center of the dance floor and proceeded to give each other air kisses.

Emmett, Jasper and I simply looked at each other.

"Oh! I didn't realize you had company," Irina looked over to us. "Esme, who are common folk?"

Uh. Common folk?

"Oh, Irina, I forgot to mention. They're Edward's friends," Esme waved us off like we weren't guests in her house.

"Edward is here? Oh what joy!" the bitch rejoiced, her Russian accent going higher in pitch and annoyingness. "Where is he?"

"Oh just spending time with his father,"

The two of them kept conversing like the three of us weren't even there. Some gracious hostess she was. Eventually, we got too bored to stick around and left the ballroom to go exploring.

Man, was the place huge. They had one hell of a garden and a TV in every room. Yes, even the bathroom. Esme may be a class A bitch but she was a class A bitch who sure knew how to decorate.

I ended up in the kitchen which had the most awesome appliances _ever._Seriously. This shit was state of the art and worth at least fifty grand. I think I even drooled a little bit as my hand ran over their refrigerator.

"If you're hungry you can just open that and make a sandwich, you know,"

I jumped a little and turned around quickly, embarrassed at having been caught lusting over a piece of metal. Edward chuckled and came closer.

"Nah, it's okay. I'm good," I replied. "Just admiring your heavy machinery,"

"Mm," he reached over the island and stroked my red cheek. "You look like you're thinking of something,"

"Well technically we never stop thinking," I pointed out. "But I was honestly thinking about how I'm supposed to do my Christmas shopping. I mean, I kinda hoped that I could do it today but since your mom invited us and all-"

"Oh don't worry, dahling. You're free to leave," Esme suddenly appeared at the doorway.

"Mother, have you been eavesdropping?" Edward sounded pissed again.

"Don't be ridiculous, Edward. How unladylike would that be," she tutted. "I just couldn't help but overhear, that's all,"

Silence fell in the room and I had to clear my throat to break it. "Um, so, since it's okay and all, I guess I should really head out. Christmas is just in a few days," I mumbled.

"Of course, dahling, and while you're out, will you stop by the grocery store and pick up some celery? I'm afraid we've run out,"

"Uh…su-"

"She's not the help, mother, she's your guest," Edward hissed.

"Oh I know that, dahling, but Bella wouldn't mind, would you Bella?" she batted her lashes at me and gave a pout.

I shrugged. "It's really no big deal, Edward. Besides, it's more earth-friendly to just get the celery and my shopping done in one trip,"

"I'm coming with you then,"

But, dahling, Irina is-"

"Let's go,"

We bid our goodbyes to Emmett and Jasper who was, surprisingly, playing _EA Fight Night_with Carlisle in the game room.

"God, Bella, I am so sorry," Edward said when we got in his father's Mercedes. "I knew my mother could be a bitch but jeez, I didn't think she'd be _that_bad!"

"Well, I'm not wishing that I didn't accompany Rosalie to her meeting today, but your mom isn't horrible," I said. "I mean, she let me go out,"

"Yeah, to buy her celery,"

"Chill, dude. It's totally fine with me," I said for the nth time. "I'm glad you're coming with me, though. I don't even have a map with me!"

Edward chuckled and started the car. With his maniac driving, we made it to the city in no time. We spent a couple of hours shopping separately first before I got lost in the massive mall and I had to call Edward to come find me. It was a good thing he had a good sense of direction otherwise we were both screwed.

"Did you pick out a nice dress?" Rosalie asked when all of us returned to the hotel.

"Uh, sorry to burst your bubble but I didn't get you a dress for Christmas," I admitted. I got everyone gag presents.

"Not for me. For you!"

"Why would I get myself a dress?"

"Duh, Bella. For the ball!" Rose rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you're going to walk in there in jeans and Converse. Emmett told me the place was fancy beyond belief,"

"Yeah, well, I didn't get one," I didn't even think of it, actually.

"Whatever. Alice wouldn't like it if she was here, but I'll just loan you one of mine then,"

And so she did. The first dress Rose tried to force on me was something waay to revealing. It was black, strapless, showed off a lot of cleavage, a lot of leg and a lot of back. Definitely a no.

The second one was blue and with a reasonable length. Not too much cleavage but there certainly was some back action. Eh. I could live with that.

We arrived at the Cullen mansion just when the people were beginning to arrive. Esme was busy playing the sophisticated host, greeting everyone as they entered through the double doors.

I had to admit, the lady knew how to throw a soiree.

I already saw how the ballroom was decorated before but now that all the finishing touches had been put, the setting turned even more magnificent. My face turned up into a smile when I saw the long ass buffet table at the side of the room.

"I forgot to tell you something," Edward told me once we were seated.

"What?" I asked, putting my chicken leg down and wiping at my mouth. He was probably going to tell me I had some sauce on my cheek or something.

"You look really beautiful tonight," he grinned.

I blushed and looked down at my full plate. "Thanks,"

The moment was ruined when the Russian bitch made an appearance.

"Oh, Edward you look so handsome!" she gushed as she sat on Emmett's chair next to Edward. "This suit looks absolutely fabulous on you,"

"Thank you," Edward said simply and without emotion before casting another apologetic look at me. I gave him a smile and a small shrug. Wasn't his fault the bitch couldn't take a hint.

Emmett and Jasper returned with their own plates a moment later. Emmett eyed Irina who was too busy touching and talking to _my_man – erm, Edward – to notice the daggers being stared at her. With a sigh, Emmett pulled up another chair and sat down.

"Who the _fuck_is she?" Rose whispered to me.

"That would be Edward's Russian whore," I whispered back. "She's Esme-approved,"

"Blegh," Rosalie made a gagging sound before looking at me more seriously. "Are you okay?"

I shrugged. Was I okay? I dunno. I was feeling pretty jealous, though.

I let Rosalie know just that. "He doesn't seem to be enjoying the attention, at least," she replied, eyeing her. "What did you say her name was again?"

"Irina," I said. She frowned. "So _that's_the one Mother Bitch claimed was Edward's fiancée,"

I nodded. "Yep, that's her."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Don't let her get to you, Bella. You're twice the woman she is and that dress she's wearing is just the epitome of whore couture,"

I laughed. "Thanks,"

"So what's up with the-"

"YOU'RE IN LABOR? _RIGHT NOW?"_

Everyone within a three mile radius turned to our table where a shouting Jasper was on his feet. "Well then why aren't you going to the hospital yet? What do you mean you still have to finish – _YOU'RE GOING INTO LABOR, ALICE!_NO! You get your ass in the car right now and ask someone to drive you!"

The shouting paused for a bit as Jasper pulled his hair out. The rest of the band was on their feet now as well, tensed and ready to…well, I dunno , really.

"I'm coming home," Jasper said finally before he shut his phone and ran towards the exit.

"Jazz! Hold up a sec, man! Where the hell are you going?" Emmett ran after him with Edward, Rosalie and I at his heels.

"Florida. Alice is going into labor and I am _not_going to wait for this tour to end to see my son," he replied with determination as he commanded one of the valet boys to hail him a cab. "I'll call you about it soon."

The last glimpse I caught of him was the back of his blond head at the back seat of a cab is it zoomed away.

"I hope he packs fast," I remarked.

Just then, Esme came storming out. "Oh there you are dahlings! Come back to the party. You left such a commotion inside,"

We followed her back into the ballroom where the people seemed to have huddled into one big clump. I lost my band mates as we treaded through them.

"Now, now, everyone! Everything is quite alright," Esme announced through the microphone. "Let us carry on with the festivities!"

The party slowly went back to status quo while I continued to search for anyone I knew. So far, I was coming up on empty.

Suddenly, a cold hand grabbed a hold of my arm. "Bella, dahling, can I speak to you for a second?" Esme asked when I turned around to face her.

"Uh, sure," I looked around before nodding and following her towards the side of the stage.

"What's up?" I asked when we stopped moving.

"Oh just the most terrible fate! One of the musicians had suddenly become terribly ill, you see, and I was hoping you may fill in his position. The show must go on, you know,"

"Oh," I blinked. "What instrument is it?"

"The guitar, dahling. You know how to play that, don't you?"

I gave her a weird look. You're asking Bella Swan – New Moon's motherfudging _guitarist_– if she knew how to play guitar. What's next, she'll ask me if Edward could sing?

"Sure, I'll do it," I said. She gave me a big grin and pushed me towards the stage. The other instrumentalists looked at me with raised eye brows as I picked up the acoustic and tried to keep up with their playing.

Luckily, I knew how to play by ear and easily picked up on their song. The melody was pretty repetitive so I let my hands do their thing and allowed my eyes to wander over to the people. We were playing a slow song so couples pretty much dominated the dance floor.

Including Edward and Irina.

I watched as she laid her head on the chest that I've used as a pillow for the past months and the arms I've grown accustomed to waking up to were wrapped around her body. I bit my lip to hold back a whimper.

Then, when things just couldn't possibly be any worse, Irina lifted her head and kissed Edward full on the lips.

I closed my eyes and looked away. That shit just stung man. Totally a low blow. My fingers began to shake involuntarily, causing a few wrong strums but I didn't care. People noticed, though, and looked at the stage.

I couldn't take it anymore. I dropped the guitar to the floor and ran like hell. For the first time since I was a kid, tears streamed down my face. My vision was blurry but I managed to make it to some hallway unscathed.

I took a few calming breaths and wiped away the tears on my face. I haven't cried since I was ten and it was a weird feeling crying now.

I leaned against the wall and cursed myself for not making a move sooner. Sure, Irina may not be Edward's type but at least she had the lady balls to actually do something. I've had him for months and I never did anything to let him know how I really felt.

I rubbed my eyes and ran a hand through my hair. I still had a few hiccups in me but at least the crying stopped. I was just about to look for some bathroom when I heard my name being yelled.

"Bella!"

I turned around just to see Edward's running figure coming towards me. Within seconds, I was crushed to his chest.

"I'm so sorry. More sorry than you'll ever know," he whispered hurriedly into my hair. "It wasn't what it looked like Bella. It's not her I want,"

He pulled me away from his body and looked me straight in the eye. "It was never her. It was always you." My heart hammered faster than ever before as he leaned closer. "I love you, Bella,"

And with that, he crushed his lips to mine. My mind was still having a really hard time trying to process everything that just happened but I was still able to wrap my arms around his neck and bring him closer to me. His arms circled my waist and brought me even closer.

Kissing Edward was better than any fantasy of him I've ever had (and trust me, there were a lot). That was probably because he just told he loved me.

_Edward loved me._

Reminding myself of that just made me kiss him back with a deeper intensity. A low growl escaped his throat and suddenly I was pressed against the wall. We continued to make out like this for what seemed like hours until he pulled back only to put his lips to my ear.

"Now that I've declared my undying love for you," he panted. "Will you be my girlfriend?"


	19. Chapter 19

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Instead of answering, I pulled his lips to mine again and I tangled my fingers through his unruly hair. The feeling of Edward's lips against mine was seriously incomparable. They were soft, unrelenting and so…delicious it was almost unbearable. When they moved against mine, it felt like I died and just went to heaven. In turn, Edward tightened his arms around me and brought me impossibly closer. When we both pulled away for air, I gave him my answer.

"Yes,"

Edward rested his forehead against mine before giving me another sweet kiss. "You've made me the happiest man on earth,"

I gave a quiet laugh considering how my lungs were still scrambling to gather oxygen. "I love you, Edward,"

"I love you, Bella,"

He pulled me to his chest and gave the top of my head a kiss. I let out a breath as I closed my eyes and finally relaxed. It felt like a burden was taken from my shoulders and I was so…_light._Like I was floating on air. Though I suppose that's how all people felt when they were in love.

_In love._Le sigh. I never thought I'd live to see the day when my greatest wish (and everyone's bets) would finally come true. Finally, that old magazine cover is a fact.

_Edward Cullen loves Bella Swan and she loves him back…_

We stood there in that hallway in each other's arms for what seemed like an immeasurable amount of time. No words were exchanged but no words were needed. Even in silence, we were comfortable with each other.

"We should…probably go back," I said after a while. Though I didn't want to, Rosalie and Emmett must be worried.

"No," Edward practically growled as he kissed the exposed skin of my shoulder.

"But Emmett and Rose…" I trailed off as his kisses moved to my neck and to the sensitive spot near my jaw.

"They're not important right now," he said, his voice turning husky. "Right now, what matters is showing my girlfriend how much I love her,"

Before I could have a reaction, Edward kissed me on the lips again. My throat let out a strange mewling sound as his tongue touched my bottom lip. Now, I've never been kissed before tonight but I knew that meant he wanted to do it French style. I opened my mouth for him and almost instantly, his tongue was tangling with mine.

"Edward," I breathed when he moved to suck on the skin on my neck. My hands were forever tangled to the hair at the nape of his neck, pushing him closer. "Maybe we shouldn't…be doing this…here,"

"Mm," he hummed as his kisses slowed. "Let's go back to the hotel, then,"

It wasn't long before we made our way down the rest of the hallway towards the back entrance of the mansion. The air outside was definitely chilly and my skin automatically broke into goose bumps because of that. I let go of Edward's hand and began to rub my hands up and down my arms as he instructed one of the valet boys to find us a taxi.

I thought of where I left my coat when I felt something being draped across my shoulders.

"Are you still cold?" Edward asked as he tightened his jacket around me by the lapels. I shook my head but he enveloped me in his warm embrace anyway. I smiled and snuggled into his arms, feeling the heat return to my body.

His arms stayed around me even as we sat inside the taxi. We arrived at the hotel in record time – Edward specified that we needed to get there urgently and in French, no less – and it wasn't long before he was attacking me with kisses as soon as the elevator doors shut.

"Edward, someone might see," I didn't want him to stop (who did?) but the possibility of the elevator stopping and letting more people in before we reached our floor was just too high. And considering that our family and friends didn't even know we were together, it seemed wrong to let strangers know first.

"I'm sorry," he apologized as he rested his forehead on my shoulder. "I just can't help myself. Ever since I've had that first kiss, I can't get enough. Your lips are like a drug to me," he lifted his head to kiss me one more time. "And I've waited too long to finally have you in my arms,"

Just then, the elevator ding'ed and I almost had a heart attack until I realized that it stopped on our floor. We quickly made our way to our room and as soon as the door shut, the make out session resumed.

"Me too," I suddenly blurted.

"What?"

"I've…waited…a long time for this, too," I said. "I've wanted you for so long…"

"I've always loved you, Bella," he replied with conviction. "And now that I have you, I'm never letting you go,"

I let the flow of things just take its course even when the back of my knees hit the bed. Soon, I was lying on the sheets with Edward right on top of me.

His hands were everywhere. From my waist, they began to roam up and down my body, brushing lightly against the sides of my breasts. I moaned into his mouth, wanting him to touch more of my skin.

Edward continued to kiss me and I let him, reveling in the sensation of feeling his lips against my skin – something I've dreamed of for a very long time. My breath hitched when I felt something hard press against my thigh.

Good Lord above, that's Little Eddie.

_No, that's not right. There's nothing little about him…_

"Bella," Edward panted against my collarbone where he was previously leaving a trail of hot, open mouth kisses. "My beautiful Bella,"

He placed one more kiss at the hollow at the base of my throat before continuing. "Love, I want to see you,"

He lifted himself off of my so that his arms were supporting his weight. "Will you? Will you let me undress you?"

The pure love he conveyed in his deep emerald eyes was so overwhelming, all I could do was nod. He gave a smile before his hands got to work.

The dress I was wearing was pretty easy to get off. All you needed to do was to pull the ribbon at the back of my neck then you just pull the thing off. Edward evidently knew this as his fingers delicately loosened the blue knot before pulling the fabric at the front of the dress down, revealing my strapless bra.

It wasn't really anything Edward hadn't seen before but I still heard his gasp as he stared unabashedly at my chest. He lowered his lips to the edges of the flimsy fabric and I felt myself getting wetter as I became increasingly aware of how close he was to my nipples.

"You're so beautiful," he moaned. I gave my own whimper of pleasure in response. I almost complained when he lifted his face away from my breasts to look at me straight in the eyes. I could see that he was silently asking my permission to slip the garment off of me.

The virgin inside me was starting to get a little nervous. This was the first time I've ever let a guy ever go this far. Hell, I haven't even been kissed until tonight. Chances are, once I've let him…uh…in there, he'll want to see what's going on downstairs as well. And then we'd end up having sex and I wasn't sure about how I felt about that yet.

_But this is Edward,_I told myself. _He'd stop at heartbeat as soon as you tell him you're uncomfortable._

With that assurance from my head, I get him a soft "yes." He flashed me his sexy grin before deftly unclasping my bra and removing it from my body within seconds.

The cool air conditioning made my nipples pucker immediately but Edward seemed to take great pleasure in that. Groaning a bit, he palmed my breasts in his large hands, his thumbs going over the hardened peaks.

"Oh God, Edward," I moaned, my back arching off the bed and pushing more of myself into his palms. If the feeling of his hands against any other part of my body was like a shock, this time it was just…jolting. Absolutely electrifying.

The mewling sounds coming from me never ceased as he continued to massage my chest. His fingers were always gentle and the kisses he laid on my neck were like soft whispers doing their job at getting me more and more aroused.

My own hands, which were lying uselessly at the sides, suddenly came to the realization that Edward was still fully dressed. They quickly went to work and began undoing the buttons of his shirt.

Being at the extremely inexperienced side of this dance, I couldn't unbutton the second one what with my shaking fingers but Edward never complained. Instead, he let me take my time until finally, everything was done – or should I say undone – and I was pushing the fabric away from his glorious upper body.

His kisses paused as he got the garment completely off of him but before they could resume, he was pulling my dress off of me.

My heart pounded about twenty times its normal speed as the blue fabric hit the floor and I lied there in nothing but my heels and panties. My eyes closed at their own accord as I felt Edward's roam up and down my body.

"Bella, look at me," he whispered. I reluctantly opened my eyes to see intense green irises burning through my soul. "Don't hide from me, beautiful. I love you,"

"Edward," I whispered back, my hands going to the back of his head again. "I love you too,"

I didn't have to use much force when I pushed his head to mine since apparently, that was the course it was going to take even without my help. His lips were more urgent, more passion-filled and another moan escaped me when I felt li-uh, _big_Eddie make his presence known again.

Except this time, instead of him having contact with my thigh, he was right on top of my panties, rubbing against my wetness.

Edward groaned audibly before he ground his arousal against me again. And again. And again.

_Fuck, this is it. You're about to lose your v card!_

"Edward," I tried to speak coherently but it was like my ability to form a complete thought suddenly vanished.

"Bella," he moaned in response. "Tell me what you like,"

Uh…what I liked?

"I don't…" I paused to take a sudden intake of breath when his hands went back to my nipples. "I don't know what you…what you mean,"

His actions slowed at my words and he lifted his head to look at me again.

"Tell me what you like. What you enjoy," his fingers fondled my chest with extra vigor to get his point across.

_Ooooh, so he was referring to sex._

"I…um…." I cleared my throat a little. "I don't…I mean, I never had…"

Dammit, how do you say you never had sex before without sounding so…I dunno. Pathetic? Awkward?

"I'm…um…"

"Bella," he finally interrupted. "Are you still a…a virgin?"

Well, now that he brought it up, it was simple for me to just nod in affirmation. Edward seemed to have frozen in his position before the warmth of his body covering mine was suddenly gone.

"Edward?" I called out for him softly as I slowly sat up. "What is it?"

His body was as stiff as a statue as he sat at the edge of the bed. He was as quiet as one, too.

We continued to just…be there in silence for a while until the air conditioning began to have an effect on my skin again. Suddenly realizing my nakedness, my arm provided some measure of cover for my exposed chest as I began to get off the bed to look for some clothes. Or at the very least, my bra.

But before I could even get one heeled foot on the hotel carpet, Edward suddenly returned to life.

"I'm sorry. You must be cold," he muttered before swiftly getting up. I wasn't sure where he went exactly since we still haven't turned on the lights but when he returned, he was in his usual sleep pants with a dark colored garment in his hands.

He sat down next to me before handing the fabric over. "It's mine. I couldn't find where you placed your bags so…"

"No, it's okay. This is fine," I said, putting the long sleeved shirt on and kicking off my painful choice of footwear. His shirt was definitely big on me but I couldn't really care less at the moment. Besides, the scent was just so intoxicating – a combination of hotel laundry soap, leather travelling bag, and of course, Edward, but mostly Edward.

He wrapped an arm around me before pulling me so that he was lying down on the pillows with me on his chest. I snuggled against him as his arms brought me close so he could easily plant kisses on top of my head.

And so the silence resumed. It wasn't really uncomfortable or anything but I was still a little confused as to what just happened. Weren't we supposed to sleep together? I mean, I didn't know how the whole sex thing worked exactly but I'm pretty sure that when the girl's down to her panties and the dude's rubbing his…uh…peen all over her, they're supposed to have sex.

I was about to bring the topic up but Edward already beat me to the punch.

"I'm sorry about what…I did, Bella," he said against my hair. "I know you're probably not ready for anything as big as…making love and since you're still…pure…I…" he paused to take a breath. "I'm sorry. Please know that I'd never do anything you're not ready for me to do,"

For a while, I remained quiet, just laying there in his arms. Seriously, could he be any more perfect? Any other guy would've probably ripped my dress the minute the door closed and by now, I'd probably be lying in bed feeling sore and painful.

Slowly, I sat up and gazed into his gorgeous eyes. I reached a hand to his face before leaning in to give him a kiss similar to the loving ones he gave me earlier.

"It's okay," I told him. "You didn't do anything I didn't want to happen. I want you as much as you want me." Probably even more, but no need to let him know how obsessed I really was. "I need you, Edward. I want you to make love to me,"

Edward smiled softly at me before he caressed my cheek with the back of his hand. "I love you. But I won't…be with you that way. Not unless you're ready,"

"But I'm ready now," I protested, the scared virgin suddenly disappearing. To prove my point, I straddled his stomach and started nibbling on his neck. _God, he was delicious._

"Oh god, Bella," he groaned, his hands going to my waist. "I want to…you have no idea but I…ugh, that feels so good…make your first time…special,"

I laughed a little as I lifted my head to look at his face. "Shouldn't that be my line?"

Edward chuckled as well before taking a breath to replenish his lungs. "Which is why I'm wondering why you're not the one saying it,"

"I'm ready," I said for hopefully the last time tonight. "I've been ready for months. You have no idea how hard it was to have to lay next to you night after night all the while thinking that I was nothing more than a friend to you,"

"I think I have a pretty good idea," he countered. "You're just so beautiful. Too beautiful for your own good sometimes," he ignored the way I rolled my eyes at that one. "And not just on the outside, inside as well. I've had to…to control myself all these months so I wouldn't…do anything inappropriate,"

"Trust me, if you did anything 'inappropriate', I wouldn't have minded," I said truthfully.

"I can see that now," he chuckled again. "And our whole room arrangement. That was a problem, too. No, no, it's not the bad kind of problem…sorta…" he tried to placate me when I looked back at him with a confused expression.

"I love sharing a bed with you," he said. "Waking up with your head on my chest and your body just so close is an experience I wouldn't trade for anything else. But…it got…erm, _hard_at times,"

"What do you mean?" I asked. Edward cleared his throat before his hands pushed my body down until I felt Big Eddie standing tall and proud.

"Oh," I said meekly, a blush covering my cheeks. "Uh…well, then…"

"I'm sorry you probably think I'm some weird ass creeper now,"

I shook my head quickly. "Nah, I don't think that."

"What _do_you think then?"

"I think…" I trailed off as my hands ran up and down his rock hard chest. "That…well, honestly, I'm flattered."

His sudden burst of laughter caused me to blush terribly. "What?" I questioned.

"I'm sorry, love, but I have to admit, that's the very first time a girl has reacted that way to me telling them that I had constant erections just because they were close,"

Well, to be fair, that did sound pretty weird. I laughed a little with him. "Wait, so you're telling me that you've told a lot of girls that you had constant erections around them?"

"What? No! No, of course not," he replied immediately. I felt a hand sneak past my ass and up my back before it reached the back of my head, pushing it towards his. "Only you can get that kind of reaction from me," he whispered right at my ear.

I shivered at his tone and his closeness before pulling back and kissing him for all I was worth. He kissed me back in earnest, conveying his love with his lips. I rested my head on his shoulder, totally content.

We were quiet for a while, the only sounds coming from the city below us.

"So, um…" I broke the silence first. "Did you…do anything about it?"

"About what?"

"Uh…" I wasn't about to tell him I referred to his dick as Big Eddie so instead of saying anything, I ground myself on his arousal only to have whimpers and groans of pleasure escape us both.

"Well," he responded after a few more seconds. "I'm a dude. We have our ways,"

"And that 'way' involves…?"

"Erm, myself,"

"What do you…"I trailed off as my brain finally processed what he told me. "So you mean you…you did the…you…"

I felt him chuckle underneath me. "Whatever it is you're trying to say, I'm just going to assume it's the same as what I told you so yes,"

"You partied with your hand?" I blurted incredulously before my choice of words finally got to me. _Partied with your hand? Seriously, Bella?_

I groaned and hid my blush face into his neck while he laughed again.

"Interesting vocabulary, but yeah, I, uh, 'partied with my hand,'"

"I see," I said simply, afraid I might say something stupid yet again.

"You sounded kinda…surprised," Edward remarked after a while. "Haven't you done it before?"

And lo, the blush returns!

"Uh, no,"

"Really?" Now it was him that sounded surprised. "So you've never had an orgasm then,"

I shook my head. "Still a virgin, remember?"

"You don't necessarily have to have sex to have an orgasm," he informed me. "You don't even have to be with anyone. But seeing as you've never tried 'partying with your hand'…"

"What?" I asked when he just left the sentence hanging.

Edward didn't reply for a while before he positioned us so that we were lying at our sides, facing each other. "I know I said I wouldn't have sex with you tonight but…I want to try something,"

Apparently, that 'something' entailed a lot of touching. And kissing. Like, a _lot _of those.

The heat building between my legs eventually reached its peak, and I cried out my very first orgasm.

"That…was…" I tried to say between breaths but then stopped when I was at a loss for words yet again.

Edward merely gave a cocky grin as he covered my sex with the damp fabric of my panties and brought his shirt back down to shield my wet nipples from any more cold air.

"Wait," I tried to sit up. "What about you?"

"Hm?"

"Your…" I gestured to his crotch where Big Eddie was putting up a campsite.

He gave a small chuckle before turning down the covers and tucking both of us in. It didn't take a long time for him to have his arms around me, pulling me closer.

"Don't worry about that," he murmured through my hair. "Tonight was about you. I'm content with just having you here,"

I yawned and nodded. I didn't know if orgasms made people tired but I was definitely feeling sleepy. The soft lullaby Edward hummed as he stroked my hair didn't help my drowsiness and soon, I drifted off, feeling happier than I've been in years.

The next morning, I was roused with soft kisses on my neck and a gentle hand rubbing circles on my stomach.

I blinked a few times to get used to the light streaming through the windows before turning so that I was on my back.

"Morning, gorgeous," Edward greeted as he leaned down to kiss me chastely on the lips.

"Mm, morning, handsome," I replied, my voice still hoarse from sleep. I stared into his green eyes as I played with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"I could've sworn last night was all in my head," I shook my head a little.

"You need a better imagination then," he scoffed playfully.

"Perhaps," I acquiesced, sitting up slowly. "What time is it?"

"Nine thirty-four," Edward replied, looking at the clock on the bedside table. A yawn made itself known just as my stomach growled. I never really finished my dinner back at the ball so that would explain that.

"Time for breakfast," he said with a grin.

"Yeah, and to face Rose and Emmett,"

His smile faltered and he blew out a gust of air while running a hand through his unruly locks. "Ho boy,"

"Indeed," I muttered before sighing. "Let's get this over with,"

We made our way to the breakfast buffet hand in hand, ignoring the stares we knew were aimed at us. As of the moment, they really weren't of our concern but the couple seated in front of us certainly was.

"Morning," Emmett greeted with his innuendo tone as we sat down across from them.

"Hey," I responded quietly, not really able to look at either of them.

"Wasn't the party last night awesome?" he continued. "That giant cake thing that they set on fire was the bomb. And didn't it taste good, too? Oh wait," I looked up long enough to see one eyebrow go up. "You never did get to taste it did you, since both of you were too busy running off,"

"Look, we're sorry we just left without telling you but – "

"No need to tell me anything," Rosalie raised a hand to shut Edward up. "I saw what happened in that ballroom with my very eyes and I don't really wanna know what happened in your hotel room…afterward though I have some pretty good ideas as to what went down – "

"Hey, I wanna know what happened!" Emmett protested but managed to say nothing more as he received another of Rose's signature back-of-the-head smacks.

"Anyways, like I was trying to say earlier, I don't need anything from both of you except for confirmation that you're together," her blue eyes flitted between the two of us.

Edward cleared his throat before tightening his hand on mine and eventually, nodding. "Yeah, we're…together,"

"Finalleh!" Rosalie declared loudly as she raised her hands to the heavens. People were looking at our table but she continued anyway. "And about damn time! I was beginning to think you lost your balls or something,"

"Oh he's just lost it," Emmett said seriously. "Bet my ass those belong to Bella now,"

He gave a loud guffaw before digging into his food.

"Wait, so you're not going to interrogate me?" I clarified, suddenly realizing that this was too good to be true. "Like, at all?"

"Nope," Rose replied as she cut through her toast. "However, it's going to be a different story with Alice,"

I groaned and shoveled a combination of hash browns, scrambled eggs and bacon into my mouth.

"How is she, by the way?" Edward asked. "Was it a boy or a girl?"

"A bouncing baby boy," Emmett answered him. "Which is just awesome 'cause now we get to have a mini rocker dude running around,"

"Did they name the kid Jasper Junior by any chance?" I wondered aloud.

"Nah, Alice wouldn't hear any of that," Rosalie laughed. "Nathan Bryce Whitlock. Born December 23, seven thirty-seven PM in Orlando, Florida. Though to us, that's around…twelve-thirty AM of December 24,"

"What happened to Jasper, though, did he make it?"

"Not in time for the actual birth, no. I mean, it's an eleven hour flight from Paris to Florida and he still had to go through all the usual airport shit. Then he still had to fight for the last seat on the plane. I think the paparazzi have some pictures of that," Emmett laughed.

"Yeah, New Moon's definitely making some headlines," Rose shook her head, clucking her tongue a little before taking a sip of her mango juice.

It was then I realized that we most definitely didn't leave the party last night with much subtlety. Most probably, there were a bunch of photographers hiding in the bushes, waiting for anyone important to come out.

But that didn't really matter. All that mattered was the arm draped around my shoulders and the kisses intermittently placed on my temple or my forehead.

All that really mattered was that Edward loved me.


	20. Chapter 20

"What's with the turtleneck?"

"What?"

"The turtleneck."

"Is there something wrong with it?" I looked down to the knitted garment Grandma Swan made me last Christmas. Ever since she found out I was in a rock band, she immediately rethought the design for my annual sweater. Now, instead of having the usual Santa Claus and candy canes on red, it was black with skulls and bones.

"I didn't say that. But I've never seen you wear something like this before,"

I shrugged. "It's Christmas. My grandma made this for me last year,"

Rosalie looked at me a while longer but eventually just let it go. I bit my lip before adjusting the fabric covering my neck. Though the turtleneck's main use was to keep me warm, it also served another purpose: covering my hickeys.

Apparently, Edward was a little too…enthusiastic in the suction department last night and I woke up with my collar and neck pelted with bruises. I didn't mind him doing it but it just looked too trashy if I paraded around with love marks. And since we had to film some Christmas message slash news update for the website, it was definitely wise to just cover myself up.

The elevator eventually reached our floor and we made our way to the room where we would be shooting. Emmett was already there, loitering around the set, particularly by the Christmas tree decorated with cookies. I found Edward in a semi hidden corner on one of those director's chairs.

"Hey," Edward greeted as I approached his seat. His arms encircled my waist and he pulled me towards him so that I was set between his legs. "I missed you," he murmured into the knitted fabric covering my cleavage.

I laughed and massaged his scalp. "I was gone about thirty minutes,"

"Still," he insisted before sputtering slightly from having some of the yarn fuzz stuck on his tongue. "What's with the sweater?"

"Funny. Rose asked the same question," I said as he raised his face to look at me. "It's to keep me warm, alright? And besides, Grandma Swan knitted this for me last year. I happen to get a bit sentimental during Christmas time,"

"Mm, I can keep you warm," he murmured before leaning in to kiss me.

"Edward," I breathed when he pulled away a moment later. Instead of responding, he pulled me closer and started nibbling on my jaw. At the same time, Big Eddie was making his presence known yet again.

"I can't wait to be alone with you," he said before his hand left my waist to touch the neck of my sweater.

"Edward, I don't think you should – "I tried to stop him, but I was too late. He already pulled it down, exposing the bruises he gave me.

"Looks like I overdid it last night," he muttered as his eyes traced each hickey. "Do they hurt?"

I laughed a little. "Haven't you ever given a girl a hickey before?"

"Well…I have, but not _that_many,"

"They don't hurt," I assured him. "But I'd appreciate it if you covered them now. Someone might see,"

"But if I cover them up, how will I kiss them better?" Edward asked suggestively, his lips pulling into a seductive smirk.

I couldn't help it; I had to laugh again. "That's exactly what got us into this situation in the first place,"

"So you don't want me to?" he leaned forward and breathed against the skin of collar bone.

"I never said that," I allowed. All I heard from him was another quiet chuckle before I felt his warm lips press against me. They made the trail to every purpling spot, sending shivers down my spine.

A low moan escaped my lips and my fingers braided themselves into his hair, pushing his head closer as his kisses began to involve his tongue as well.

"We're about to start, people! Where are the other two?" someone suddenly hollered, ruining the moment. I heard Edward growl as he pulled away from me.

"At least they didn't actually look for us," I offered as something of a consolation. Edward just snorted as he stood up and I straightened my turtleneck. He offered me his hand and we walked towards the set together.

"It's about time!" Byron, the director, fumed as he eyed me and Edward as we approached. His eyes fell to our tangled hands and that seemingly just made him all the more pissed.

As we were arranged in the very Christmas-y set, I saw a pattern with Mr. Director's order giving technique. With Edward, he was very sweet and accommodating, constantly asking him if he was comfortable in his seat or if he needed water. With yours truly, however, it was a whole different story. He practically barked out the instructions and if I so much as sat an inch from where he wanted me, he'd start acting like I just burned the stockings hung on the mantle.

When he reached out to touch Edward's bronze locks, one thing became very clear to me: Byron clearly had a crush on my boyfriend.

I laughed to myself as I eventually ended up on the floor, sitting cross legged next to the coffee table, Edward was on the grandfather chair, and Emmett took up the whole sofa. I found it pretty ironic how the girl's on the floor while the men occupy comfortable surfaces but with the director's obvious sexual orientation (and jealousy), I suppose that was expected.

"Action!"

"Bonjour, people of the universe! New Moon here spending yet another Christmas on tour," I greeted amiably.

"Yeah, we're still in Paris, where it's been snowing for quite a while," Emmett added, glancing at the window where white stuff could be clearly seen raining down from the sky.

"Anyway, we just wanted to wish you guys a merry Christmas and to update you on some news," Edward leaned forward so that his elbows were resting on his knees. "As you probably have heard, Jasper returned to the States a few days ago to be there for the birth of his son."

"This won't hinder the tour since we're going to be just doing nothing, essentially, until after New Year and by then, Jasper would be back with us," I mentioned.

"Also, we'll be giving away free merch this week in honor of the season of giving so you can check out our Facebook page, our Twitter account, and of course our website for information about how you can get stuff without paying for them," Emmett recited.

"We look forward to seeing you on January fifth when we'll be starting with the Asian leg of the tour. Thanks for the support and have an awesome Christmas," Edward ended the whole thing with one of his killer smiles directed to the camera lens.

Of course, that just drove Byron insane.

"That was marvelous, Edward darling, marvelous!" he praised, as he made his way over to Edward's chair. Emmett and I looked at each other for a few seconds before struggling to control our laughter.

I didn't hear what Edward said back but whatever it was roused yet another round of word vomit. Edward simply gave a small smile in return before walking over to me and helping me stand.

"You know, I think someone might have a bit of a crush on you," I whispered to him controversially with Byron still gushing in the background.

"No shit," he muttered in an annoyed tone, placing an arm around my waist as we walked over to where Rosalie was standing.

"That went well," she commented before looking over my shoulder. "Maybe even too well…anyway, that's going up on the website tonight but in the meantime, it's break time for everyone, thank god," Rose let out a breath of relief. "Just don't wander the streets without security, alright?"

"Gotcha," Edward smiled widely as he nodded before looking sideways at me. I blushed almost immediately and looked down. No doubt that brain of his was cooking up ideas of what we could do now that we were going to be alone for a few days.

My girly parts had no objections to that.

The grin remained on his face the entire elevator ride back to our floor and the short walk to our room. I think it only disappeared when his mouth became busy with molding itself with mine.

We stayed like that for a pretty long time and only stopped when we really needed air already. Edward rested his forehead on my shoulder and my fingers braided themselves into his hair again. Everything was quiet save for the noise of the city below, the hum of the air conditioning and our shallow breathing which slowly returned to normal.

After a while, I was about to suggest we go sit down or something when I felt Edward's laugh on the skin of my neck.

"What's so funny?" I asked him.

"Nothing. Just that I got into your pants even before we went out on a first date," I felt him chuckle again.

I rolled my eyes. "Is that supposed to be some sort of achievement for dudes or something?"

"Nah. We're going pretty backwards with this though,"

"True that," I nodded. "The I-love-you's came first, then there was the night of…uh…yeah, and _then_we start acting all couple-y,"

He lifted his head and tucked my hair behind my ear before smiling softly. "Does that bother you?"

I shook my head. "No. In fact, I'm kinda happy we already got those out of the way. I mean, I know you're Mr. Suave and all that but I would've probably been…weird and awkward if we started this like normal people. I'm pretty much socially inept even with regular people so if it were you then that would've probably been multiplied ten times more since I'd be nervous and end up embarrassing myself – "

He cut me off with a palm to my mouth. Meh. I suppose that's what I got for babbling.

"So, since we're going with this whole backwards relationship thing, how do you feel about going on a date with me?"

I looked at him first before casting my eyes over to his hand that was preventing me from answering him. After muttering a quick apology, he looked at me expectantly again.

"Sure," I answered easily. "When?"

"Right now."

"Now?"

"No time like the present," he said with a shrug.

"Okay. So where are you taking me, lover boy?" I asked as went to get our jackets.

"It's a surprise," he grinned as he helped me into my brown parka.

After Edward informed Felix about our desire to go out, we made our way to the lobby with our hands entwined and grins on our faces. No one really got the chance to recognize us since we were pretty bundled up and they were too busy on their phones and shopping bags to care.

We were about to exit through the revolving doors when Edward suddenly froze on the spot. I tugged on his hand with a concerned look on my face as I looked at his frigid expression. When he still gave no response, I looked around the busy floor to see the cause of his sudden shift of demeanor. My question was answered when I saw an apologetic looking Carlisle approach us.

"Edward," he greeted a little hesitantly as he stopped in front of us. When Edward didn't say anything, he sighed and ran a hand through his blond hair – no doubt a habit his son inherited.

"I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am about your mother's behavior last night. Even _that_was low for her," he paused to clear his throat and to turn his blue eyes to me. "I'm sorry, Bella. Please know that I never meant for anything like last night to happen. You probably think we're horrible people – "

I shook my head before he could go any further. "Nah, you guys aren't horrible," Well, at least Carlisle wasn't. His wife on the other hand… "And I forgive you." I really did. If it weren't for the scheming ways of Esme Cullen, Edward wouldn't be together.

Carlisle gave me a small smile before looking at his son. Edward's hand tightened its hold on mine and he let out a sigh. "I can't…I don't really know what to say to you right now," he said honestly.

Carlisle nodded understandingly. "I guess I expected worse."

"Is there another reason why you're here?"

"Actually, yes. I know it's a bit daft to ask but…Edward, would you participate in the children's party today?"

"Children's party…as in the one mother's hosting?" Edward raised an eyebrow as his voice turned sharp at the mention of his mom.

Carlisle nodded. "You won't have to interact with her – I promise she'll make herself scarce. Believe it or not, she's quite ashamed of her display of immaturity last night."

Edward looked back at his dad for a few moments before casting a glance at me. "I'll…think about it. What time is the event?"

"It's not until one in the afternoon," Carlisle replied as he looked at his watch. I did the same; it was quarter to ten in the morning.

The three of us were stuck in an awkward silence until Edward cleared his throat.

"So…I guess we'll…see you,"

"Yes, I hope so," Carlisle said. "Again, I'm truly sorry about last night, son. You too, Bella," he gave me another smile before putting on his trench coat and walking out.

Edward's hold on my hand was still pretty tight and I knew that even though his dad had left, he was still feeling pretty…tense. I waited until his grip loosened but it never did. I bit the tip of my glove and pulled it off with my teeth so that my hand was free. The wool fell to the floor but I didn't care as I stood in front of Edward and gently touched his face.

"You okay?" I asked.

He let out a sigh and leaned into my palm. "I'm good. Just didn't expect him to be here,"

I nodded. "What was he saying about a children's party?"

"Every year, my mother hosts a party. A charity event that gives orphans and kids in hospitals a chance to celebrate a happier Christmas."

Wow. Who knew Esme had a heart.

"It was really all for props and to give herself a better image, but it was great for the kids. I've participated in all of them up until the time I decided to leave England,"

Okay, never mind.

"Do you want to go this year?"

He smiled at me and brushed some hair off of my face. "Do you?"

I nodded without a second thought. "Yeah. The intention behind it might not be…right, but in the end, we'll be making a lot of kids happy,"

"Then we're going,"

I blinked. "Me saying yes is really all you needed to agree to go?"

"Sure," he said with a teasing glint in his eyes. "I wouldn't go anywhere without you."

I snorted. "Since when did you get so cheesy?" I bent over to pick up my glove.

"Since I got a girlfriend that I actually loved,"

After informing Felix and the others about our change of plans, we hailed a cab back to the Cullens' place where a lot of workers were braving the snow to pull in a bunch of tables and chairs.

"I don't get it. Your mom's Christmas ball was just last night wasn't it? That means the tables and chairs and buffet tables and shit are still in there. Why do you still need all the new stuff?"

Edward shrugged. "Beats me," he said as he handed the taxi driver our fare and stepped out of the cab. "Mother was never one for practicality, anyway. It's always just extravagance with her,"

We entered the house amidst the flurry of action and searched for Carlisle. We spotted him inside the kitchen, talking to the cook about the giant pot of soup in front of them, I guessed.

"You came," he smiled as soon as he eyed us standing awkwardly at the doorway. He said a few words to the cook before coming closer. "Thank you for coming, Edward,"

Edward gave a small smile of his own. "It's for a good cause at the end of the day,"

"True," Carlisle nodded.

"Is there anything we can help with?" I asked as someone carrying a pile of boxes muttered something to me in French before nudging me out of the way. "You guys seem pretty busy,"

"No, no, it's all being taken cared of...well, actually you _can_do something," he changed his mind quickly. "We still haven't bought gifts for the children. Would you mind going to the toy store and purchasing them?"

"No problem," Edward answered. Carlisle handed him a black credit card. "Spend as much as you deem fit," he said.

We borrowed his black Mercedes again as Edward tore through the streets of Paris in search of a good toy shop. Neither of us talked much on the drive but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. We just listened to the music playing softly through the radio.

"Are you disappointed?" he asked suddenly while we were caught in a red light.

"Hm?" I pulled my eyes away from the scenery and looked at him.

"Are you…is it okay that our first date ended up being helpers in a charity event?"

"'Course not," I shook my head. "I'm sure your romantic…uh…pre-lunch date would've been nice but we could have those at anytime. Christmas only comes once a year,"

He picked up the hand nearest to him and held it to his lips. He kissed my knuckles briefly before replacing his hands on the wheel and driving again.

We continued to stay on the road for a while before Edward parked in front of a building. Judging by the window displays, this was toy heaven. I think the only things they sold were children's things and that's a _lot_of children's things considering that the place was about four stories tall.

I caught a glance of some paps snapping pictures from a distance but I didn't really care. Felix was nearby – though I couldn't see him; I swear, the man is a trained ninja – so I knew they wouldn't get _too_close and cause actual physical damage.

Edward must have noticed them too since he looked off to some bushes across the street and gave a smirk before wrapping an arm around my shoulders and leading me forward.

_No doubt_that _was going to end up in the tabloids by tomorrow._

The inside of the store was filled with last minute shoppers who were trying to pick something for their kids on Christmas Eve. Some recognized us but were simply content to stare.

According to Edward, the directory said that the girls' toys were on the first level while the one for boys' wasn't until level two. We grabbed some shopping carts and made our way through the aisles in search of decent toys.

"Barbie?" I raised an eyebrow as Edward randomly took some dolls off the shelves and placed them in his cart.

"What? We're shopping for little girls, aren't we?"

I shrugged but didn't place any of the pink boxes in mine. Instead, I watched him take Rapunzel Barbie, Indian Barbie, Patriot Barbie and Malibu Barbie and toss them haphazardly on the metal basket.

"Aren't you going to help me here?"

"I will, just not in this section," I replied.

"And why is that?"

I scratched my head a little. "I don't know. I just don't think Barbie's a very good…I dunno, _thing_for little girls."

He tilted his head a little and raised an eyebrow. "Because?"

"Because," I said. "She's like, standardizing what beauty's supposed to be. Tall, leggy, flawless skin, perfect posture, perfect hair," I shrugged again. "I don't know if I'm being too political about this or whatever, but I'm not comfortable with having kids think that if you don't look like Barbie, you're not beautiful,"

Edward just stared at me for a little while – okay, a _long_while – and I began to feel self conscious. He gave a laugh before I could ask him what the hell his problem was.

"Oh Bella," he sighed before pulling me closer and giving me a kiss on the temple. "You're too smart for your own good sometimes,"

I rolled my eyes and we continued down the aisle.

"Now _this_is what I'm talkin' about!" I nodded my head in approval as we neared the part of the store that was filled with plastic pots and pans.

Edward chuckled as I held up a battery powered microwave. "Is this what you grew up with?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," I nodded, placing the item in my cart. "Well, mine was a little more…old school. You know, cutting up leaves and mixing mud with spider webs rather than having a pre-made muffin mix and actually baking them under a light bulb, but yeah. This is more or less the same,"

"No wonder you love cooking," he mused.

I nodded and laughed. "Yeah, I bet that's why I grew up to be a person who just couldn't stay away from the kitchen,"

"I'll make sure our little girl is surrounded by Easy-Bake Ovens and plastic utensils then. If she can cook like her Mama, I'll be a happy man,"

I froze at his words. _Our little girl? He wanted children?_

I put the little China tea set down and turned around to look at him. Edward was smiling back at me with warmth in his eyes.

"You want…kids?" I whispered. I thought he didn't hear me but then he was by my side, pulling me into his arms.

"Of course I do," he murmured. "But don't you think marriage should come first?"

My breath hitched. Was…was he proposing or some shit?

He must've felt my body tense up since he released me but kept me at arm's length so he could look at my face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! It's just…you're not proposing now, are you?"

He gave a laugh before shaking his head. "Trust me, Bella. When I propose, you'll know it,"

I gave my own shaky laugh before taking a deep breath. "Okay, just clarifying,"

"What about you? Do you want kids?" he asked nonchalantly as he picked up the China set I set down earlier and placed it in his cart.

"Yeah, most definitely," I replied almost immediately. "Ever since Alice found out she was pregnant, it…I dunno. It crossed my mind a couple of times. Having a baby is a huge step and I pretty much think like a kid myself, but I know that…when I get one, I'll love him or her no matter what,"

When he didn't say anything, I looked into his green eyes and saw warmth and love there again. He wrapped my shoulder with his arm again and murmured a quick 'I love you' before we continued through the store.

As we went on with our shopping expedition, our carts began to fill up pretty quickly. Soon, Felix came out of his ninja state and pushed two more behind us while more security personnel were behind him in case we needed more room for the toys.

We were in the middle of debating whether or not we were going to take a couple double edged light sabers when some fans caught up with us.

They started speaking to us in French and I just nodded and smiled like I knew what they were saying.

Luckily, Edward was multi-lingual and was well versed in the language. And damn was it hot listening to the words just roll of his tongue.

I could feel the familiar yet still kinda new stirrings in my lady parts when Edward informed me that the dudes wanted an autograph and some pictures. We posed with them while their other friend held up a shaky camera and snapped our photo.

The Canon hand cam reminded me of something – or well, someone. "Where'd Peter go, by the way? I haven't seen him since the concert,"

"He went back to his family," Edward replied. "Rosalie told him to take a few weeks off while we're having a break as well."

"Ah," I nodded. "Good for him,"

We continued to take more toys as my mind began to wander. The talk about families had me thinking of my own and how I haven't even called to greet them. Well, Charlie and Jake are cool even if I greet them a belated merry Christmas five days after New Year but Renee, however…

My face scrunched up as I thought about my mother. I didn't like talking smack about her, but sometimes it just got too damn much. If I didn't call to greet her for any holiday she deemed important, cue the lecture. Seriously, it was like she was a damn control freak.

Edward's phone rang then and he fished it out of his pocket to see the caller ID. He gave a huff before answering.

"What is it, mother?"

_Speaking of control freaks…_

"Right now? But it's not even – "he paused and looked at his watch. "Eleven!" He paused as Esme ranted on the other side. "But we never wrapped the gifts! We just gave them away!" Another frustrated sigh escaped his lips. "Fine, fine. We'll make it quick,"

He shut his phone off before Esme could say anything more. "We have to pick up speed. Apparently, they need the toys already,"

Everything was in bags and ready to go about half an hour later. With so much purchases, we had to split the bags between the Mercedes and Felix' van. Thankfully, everything fit without breaking and we made our way back to the mansion.

One of the workers was there to greet us as soon as we pulled up and quickly began to unload what we bought. We offered to help, but he shook his head and informed us that doing so was just unheard of in that house.

Well of course it would be unheard of. Why, I'd bet poor Esme would have a coronary if she had to do the exhausting task of carrying her tea tray.

We went to look for Carlisle after we got shooed away and found him in the middle of a phone call in his office. He ended it once he spotted us standing at the doorway.

"You're back early," he mused. "Wasn't expecting you until another half hour or so,"

"Mother," Edward shrugged. He said her name like an explanation.

Carlisle cleared his throat. "Well…as long as you got it done, I suppose. Thanks again for doing it,"

"No problem."

"Is there anything else we can do?" I asked. You know, like probably sampling those good looking mini burgers we saw the cook frying up.

He shook his head. "You've done more than enough, Bella. You two can relax until the children arrive,"

Edward and I ended up playing _Tekken 6_on the PS3 until the time arrived for the main event. We didn't even need to look at the clock; the sound of children's voices was enough of a reminder for us.

We hurriedly made our way down to the ballroom where the opening program was already underway. Esme was giving a speech in French up front while occasionally catching glances at some ladies seated at front. They must be the high society bitches she was trying to impress.

Meanwhile, the kids were all seated throughout the wide room. As I looked around, I caught the eye of one particular girl with brown ringlets falling over her shoulders. I gave her a smile and she looked away shyly.

The food was served shortly and after everyone had eaten, it was time for the activities. The tables were cleared and the kids split up into the stations set up for drawing, story-telling, dress-up, and such.

"How do you usually help with these things?" I asked Edward as we made our way closer to the more crowded area of the room.

"Piano lessons," he replied simply.

"And you're doing the same thing this time?"

He shook his head. "I haven't played for a really long time and it'd be embarrassing if I mess up,"

I laughed and mussed his hair. "Maybe you can give them vocal lessons instead, then,"

His eyes brightened and I thought he was about to consider my suggestion until he said "Or you could give them guitar lessons,"

"Uh…" I stalled. "I'm not a very good teacher,"

"Come on, the kids'll love you," he insisted. "How can they not?"

"There's a possibility of me cursing at them," I tried again.

"I highly doubt that," he shook his head.

"Well…" I racked my brain for another excuse. "I don't have a guitar! And even if I did, the kids I'll be teaching won't have any to use,"

Edward smirked. "That's your only problem? I already have that covered. Carlisle has a collection of vintage guitars we can borrow. I'm sure he wouldn't mind,"

Before I could blurt out some other pointless rebuttal, Edward already called a servant over and asked to bring the instruments down.

"What did you do?" I whisper to him furiously but his smirk just grew larger. I just stood there like an idiot as he began to gather chairs in an empty corner. Before I knew it, a bunch of people were positioning Carlisle's guitars in the area Edward had set up.

Well, hell, we were seriously going through with this.

A bunch of kids got curious as to what was going on and made their way over to our makeshift station. Edward came over and all but dragged me over there and making me sit up front and in front of curious sets of eyes.

I cleared my throat and tried to sound nice. "Hi guys. I'm Bella,"

They all spoke at the same time but I couldn't understand a word since they spoke in French.

"Uh, can you speak English?" I asked hopefully.

I thanked my lucky stars when they all said yes. Sure, they all had that accent going for them but I still understood.

"You guys know what a guitar is right?"

"Yes," a blond haired boy replied confidently. "You pull ze streengs to make muzic,"

"Very good," I praised him. "And your name is…?"

"Peter,"

"Peter," I repeated. "Nice name. I actually have a friend named Peter but he's American and…" Gahd, I was babbling again. "Well, anyway, do you know how to play?"

He shook his head no. Yeah, kid, I figured.

"I can teach you. You wanna learn?"

He nodded enthusiastically and tried to pull a white Les Paul off its stand. I stood up and helped him position it on his lap before assisting the rest of them as well. Once everyone was set, I began my lesson.

It wasn't as bad as I thought it was. The kids were really attentive and were pretty eager to learn. I asked them questions about themselves while they tried out the notes I taught and learned in five minutes that Peter dreamed of becoming a baseball player, Maria loved the color purple, Sanjay was Angry Birds master and Katrina wanted to own a pony farm.

"What about you, Bella?" Peter asked. "Do you hev eh job?"

"Sure," I said. "I'm a…musician," There. That sounded more formal than rock star.

"Oh, so you play gittah for eh living?"

I nodded. "Yep. I'm actually part of a band and we're travelling the world to play for people,"

"Who eez eh part of youh bend?"

And before I knew it, I was telling a bunch of seven year olds about my life in New Moon. I told them about Jasper and his weirdo squats, Emmett and his…jokes (no way was I mentioning how perverted those jokes are), Alice and her love for girly stuff (Katrina and Maria grinned at that), and even Rosalie and her multi-tasking skills. Lastly, I told them about Edward.

I was in the middle of telling them about the time he was chased by fans in Zurich when I felt arms wrapped around me and lips to my ear.

"Is this a guitar lesson or story time?"

I swatted his arm playfully and he released me from his hold. I blushed when I realized the children were watching us.

"Of course it's a guitar lesson," I told him. "They already know how to play a lot of notes. Hell, they can even be better than you,"

"Oh really?" he asked playfully.

"You bet your fine aaaaaaapples they are," I saved myself from potentially corrupting young minds. Edward smirked before turning to the kids. "Hi. I'm Edward,"

"_You're_Edward?" Sanjay clarified as he looked him up and down. "Ze one who forgot ze song words?"

Edward gave a loud laugh. "That's me,"

"Can you play gittah too?"

"Yeah. You wanna play together?"

"Sure."

Soon, the little ones were all over Edward. He was really patient with them and answered all their questions, even ones involving his funny colored hair. The lesson was long forgotten but I didn't care. Watching Edward interact with the kids was a good replacement anyway.

I smiled as he cracked a joke and made everyone laugh. He was going to be a good father one day.

Sighing a bit, I looked down on my stomach and imagined it full with our baby. My smile grew wider at the thought and I absently placed my hand on the spot.

When I looked up, Edward met my eyes and gave a big smile as his eyes went down to my hand on my belly. It felt good to know that he wanted children just as much as I did.

Now all I have to do is to wait for him to pop the question.


	21. Chapter 21

I was sweaty and breathing hard. My ponytail was beyond messed up and I was feeling hot all over. I looked over at Edward and found him in a similar predicament. He reached over and took my hand in his.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm good," I replied a little breathily. My lungs were still laboring to provide enough oxygen for my tired body to function properly.

"You think we lost them?"

"We better have. We ran twenty five blocks and cut through more alleys than I can count. Are you sure we're not lost?"

Edward took in a deep breath of his own. "I'm sure we aren't. And even if we are, I can find our way back."

"Yeah, just don't ask for directions ever again," I took off the elastic and retied my hair. While we tried to make our hearts beat normally again, I thought about how we ended up in some random alley in Paris in the middle of the night – Christmas Eve, no less.

After we got back from the charity event back at the Cullen's mans, Rosalie insisted we all go out for a proper dinner. I was about to join her and Emmett in the SUV they rented until Mr. Romantic over here insisted that it would be better if we just walked.

We'd have privacy, he said.

It would be romantic, he said.

He knew where the restaurant was, he said.

We didn't need Felix, he said.

Yeah right, I said.

Fifteen minutes into walking from our hotel and we already had some photographers on our tail. Without our usual team of ninjas keeping us safe, I panicked a little inside but since they kept a respectable distance, I wasn't bothered much by them.

All was…well, I suppose until Edward started getting confused with the street signs. With a stab to his manly ego, he approached some girls in front of a café and with his sexy French, asked for directions. Of course with Edward being…Edward, they all swooned and bellowed out their fan girl war cries before chasing us through hell.

And so here we are now: tired, sweaty, and trying to come up with a good strategy to get to the restaurant without running into people we weren't supposed to run into.

I looked at my watch and saw that we were already half an hour late. I groaned at the prospect of arriving at the restaurant and having my ear laughed off with the endless sex jokes from Emmett. And probably Rosalie.

I peered behind the brick wall slightly, trying to catch any suspicious activity. When there was none, I was about to tell Edward that the coast was clear when I felt his arms wrap around me from behind.

"I'm really sorry, baby," he murmured into my shoulder. "This wasn't how I planned tonight,"

I chuckled. "Yeah, but when do things _ever_go according to plan?"

His lips quirked into a smirk against my skin. "Touché."

"And it's okay," I reached up to tangle my fingers in his bronze mop. "Though it was stupid as hell, I found the gesture to be romantic,"

I turned in his arms to see him smirking at me. Rolling his eyes, he let go of all of me except for my hand.

"Let's just go hail a cab,"

We eventually made it to the restaurant a couple minutes later and as expected, Edward and I were the center of a night filled with innuendos. Emmett was lucky all I did in retaliation was to flick chocolate sauce across his nose.

"It's officially two hours before Christmas," Rosalie announced while we drove back to the hotel.

"Awesome. Two hours before we get to open gifts," Emmett practically fist pumped in excitement. He looked a little bit like an overgrown child.

"You guys don't open your gifts on Christmas morning?" Edward asked.

I laughed and shook my head. "Not in the Swan household. Charlie had to hide our presents in various portions of the house every year since we'd sneak out of our rooms once the clock stroked midnight and try to open our presents. So, he let us do just that. Course we slept all throughout the next day,"

"I went through something like that when I was younger," Rose nodded. "Which means you two are bringing your gifts to our room tonight so we can open them later,"

I suddenly remembered that we were one band member short. "What about Jasper's gifts?"

"Eh, he'll just have to settle with seeing them on Skype. I told them we'd all be online in a couple of minutes,"

"Them?"

"Alice wants to join. She wants to show us little Bryce too,"

I bit my lip at the news. While I was happy to be seeing Alice again, I knew for a fact she'd want every single detail of what happened to Edward and I. I just hoped that she'd wait until we could talk in private before she'd demand that I spill my guts.

Rose passed around the cliché Christmas hot chocolate and cookies while I tried to hook up their huge screen TV with Skype. It took a little while for me to figure it out but eventually, I finally got it right. I set the webcam on the top ledge of the TV and waited for Jasper and Alice to appear on the screen.

"Edward, you have to come closer. The webcam doesn't reach that far," Rosalie grabbed Edward's sleeve and towed him closer to her place on the sofa.

"I can't move any closer with this fat ass blocking the way,"

"I'll have you know, Cullen, that this 'fat ass' works out more in one day than you do in a month!" Emmett refused to budge from his current position of taking up practically more than half the couch.

"Ho boy," I muttered to myself as I settled on the floor and waited for the testosterone level to be sky high.

"I don't need to work out that much to get a body as good as this," Edward retaliated cockily.

Emmett was about to open his mouth the same time as Rosalie was about to shout something to shut them up when Jasper and Alice finally made an appearance.

"Praise Lord Hallelujah," I held my hands up thankfully since the boys were now too distracted to carry on their macho contest.

"Bella! I feel like I haven't seen you in ages!" Alice eagerly waved at me from where she sat.

"It's good to see you again," I told her truthfully.

"How're things back there? Where's Bryce?" Rosalie was practically bouncing off the cushions in anticipation of seeing the baby.

"Everything's good," Jasper replied the same time Alice said "I'll go get him."

"How's fatherhood?" Emmett asked. "You freaking out yet?"

"Way beyond freaking out," Jasper gave a short laugh and ran a hand through his blond hair. "I was so nervous when I got to the hospital."

"I'll bet," I said.

"I missed the labor by a couple of hours so the first time I saw Bryce was when he was asleep in one of those bed things. I think I screamed when the little guy opened his eyes and just…_stared_at me,"

"Oh honey, you didn't just scream," Alice's voice filtered through though we couldn't see her yet."You screamed so loudly it woke me up and had the nurses running into the room,"

Jasper gave her a look as she sat down with a bundle of blue in her arms. "And here he is," Alice picked up the baby's little arm and waved it at us. "Say hi, baby,"

"Oh Alice, he's adorable!" Rose swooned as she crawled closer to the screen as if that made her closer to them. "I want to snuggle and kiss him all day!"

Alice chuckled as she pointed each and every one of us to her son. "Bryce, that's Aunt Rosalie, Uncle Emmett, Aunt Bella, and…" she paused as she looked around. "Where's Edward?"

Edward sighed as he moved from his unseen spot next to Emmett to sit next to me on the floor. "Right here."

"And there's Uncle Edward," she raised an eyebrow as she said it, her eyes looking closely at how Edward's arm was wrapped lightly around my waist. I blushed and looked down as I felt both their gazes at me this time.

Luckily, Rosalie was there to keep the conversations all about Bryce. The little dude really was cute. I couldn't tell what hair color he had from the cap Alice put on him but his eyes were already dark brown similar to Jasper's. He also had this habit of tugging and chewing (or whatever you call it since he still doesn't have any teeth) on the ends of Alice's hair. It had grown since the last time I saw her.

"Oh, congratulations by the way, Bella," Alice told me out of the blue.

I tried to think of any achievements I've reached lately but couldn't think of any. Unless she was talking about Edward. I groaned internally and braced myself for a round of squeals and innuendos.

"What are we talking about exactly?"

"Aren't you Rock and Roll's Hottest Woman of the Year?" she sounded a bit confused.

"Ooooh, that," I nodded slowly then laughed. "What a joke,"

"I beg to disagree," Edward murmured into my hair as his hand inched higher up my side, brushing against the side of my boobs. I choked on my own spit.

Alice most definitely noticed and gave me a look that said 'you have to tell me _everything'._ I grimaced and mumbled a 'later'.

"Oh yeah, speaking of which, Bella, _Rolling Stones_wants an interview," Rosalie said.

"Is there a photo shoot?" Alice asked.

"No. Apparently they're not doing that this year," Rosalie sounded disappointed. Alice's sigh sounded the same way. Well, I was happy. I've seen what they do to the hottest women of the past. I'd probably be forced to wear a corset and some BDSM item like a whip while I pranced around set in heels.

Before I realized it, midnight arrived and we all greeted each other a merry Christmas. Gifts were passed around and Emmett was more than happy enough to open Jasper's presents for him.

By around two in the morning, we all decided to call it a night. Well, we as in the people in France decided to call it a night. Jasper and Alice still had to wait a few hours for their Christmas in Florida.

"Do you like your gift?" Edward asked while we waited for the elevator to arrive.

"I love it. It's perfect." I leaned on my tip toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He had added another charm to my bracelet and while I thought that it was too extravagant and expensive, I had to admit it was beautiful.

"There's a part two, you know," he said nonchalantly as we stepped into the cabin.

"Edward," I groaned. "You know that's completely unnecessary,"

His mouth pulled into an arrogant smirk. "I think you'll change your mind once you find out what it is,"

He eagerly pulled me into our room once we reached our floor and started to kiss me fiercely as soon as the door shut. I couldn't really tell what was going on what with my brain lacking oxygen (not that I was complaining) but before I knew it, I was pinned beneath Edward on our queen sized bed.

"You know what I can't stop thinking about?" he whispered at my ear when he finally let me breathe. "Making you come apart in my arms again,"

I shivered as I recalled our first night of being…together.

"I want to do it again," he licked the shell of my ear. "Will you let me?"

Having lost my ability to talk, I just nodded. With another sinister grin, his mouth was back on mine, swallowing the wanton sounds coming from me. His hands quickly went to work, pulling my shirt off of me and expertly unhooking my bra. He whipped his shirt off of his upper body and resumed making out with me like his life depended on it.

I whimpered when I felt my bare chest meet the skin of his. The throb between my legs continued incessantly. It was practically begging me to wrap my legs around his waist and just grind all my troubles away on the noticeably growing bulge in Edward's crotch.

His kisses drifted from my lips back to my neck and collar. He didn't stay long and I could feel his lips going lower but I still gasped in surprise as he sucked a nipple in his mouth.

"You taste so good," he moaned while his hand gave the other boob some attention. "I want to eat you up,"

Another strangled cry left my throat as I got more and more turned on by his dirty talking and the way his mouth and hands worked my body.

"Will you let me?" he asked again.

"Hm?"

"Will you let me eat you?"

My eyes met his smoldering ones and I realized that he was completely serious. "You want to…" I couldn't even say it out loud. "To…"

"Taste you. Make you climax with my tongue," he leaned forward and nipped at my ear. "I really want your pussy in my mouth, Bella. I've been thinking about for days,"

His dirty talk was getting me wetter. I gave an involuntary whimper and I felt his hot breath as he gave a quiet laugh. "Do you like it when I talk to you like that?"

Well if my damp panties weren't indicator enough, I didn't know what was. I took in a stuttered breath when I felt his fingers slide into my jeans and feel the wetness seeping through the cotton of my underwear.

It didn't take long for him to do as promised and it was definitely no surprise that I lost it way too soon.

The cry I gave out was so loud, I was sure the rooms next to us heard it.

"Edward," I panted while I tried to catch my breath. "That was…" I couldn't find words to describe how that felt.

"Amazing? Glorious? Perfect?" he filled in for me teasingly.

"Yeah. All of the above,"

He chuckled and moved so that he was lying next to me again. I could feel the bulge in his pants as he pressed himself to me. That reminded me that twice, Edward had pleasured me without asking for me to return the favor. Well, that was about to change.

With my hand shaking from nervousness, I moved it from his hair, down his chest and finally on the seam of his jeans.

In an instant, his hand was on my wrist, stopping me from going any further. "Bella," his breathing had turned a little shaky. "You don't have to – "

"I want to," I interrupted him before all my nerve disappeared. "Please,"

With a groan, his lips were on mine and my hand was finally released. I had no idea what I was really supposed to do so I tried to recall those lemony fanfics I've read in the past. There was always some point when I'd given Edward a hand job.

I guess real Bella's job was as thorough as fanfic Bella since within minutes, something sticky was covering my hand and Edward was barely breathing.

"Wow," I said mostly to myself.

"Indeed," Edward chuckled breathily beside me.

"Um," I blushed. "I…better go clean up,"

I walked to the bathroom on shaky legs. As I washed off, I couldn't help but look at myself in the mirror. To be honest, I looked like I just had sex. Skin was flushed, collar pelted with hickeys, hair was tousled and my frame was still a bit unstable.

I've never looked better in my life.

Edward was dressed and ready with another one of his shirts for me when I got back to him a few minutes later. He kissed me goodnight and we ended up cuddling in the sheets.

"So did you like your second gift?" he asked as his hand trailed up and down my back.

I shrugged and tried to be casual just to tease him.

"Told you so," he said cockily regardless.

The next day – or technically, a few hours later, I called the family to greet them a merry Christmas. Charlie was happy that I called him but his tone turned annoyed when the topic inevitably turned to Jake and his not-so-secret nuptials.

"Can you believe that boy?" he huffed and I could almost see him scratch his head in frustration through the phone. "Running off. Getting married without a second thought. I don't think he even asked for Vanessa's father's blessing!"

"Isn't that what you did with mom?" I asked him in defense of my brother.

He gave a snort. "And look here we ended up."

Heh. "Touché," I conceded. "I don't think Jake made a mistake, though. Sure he could be such a pig headed child sometimes but he has good intentions. And I've seen how he is with Nessie. He really loves her, dad,"

"Couldn't he have waited? He's younger than you!"

"Just by two years," I said.

He sighed. "Just wish I could've been there. Though the boy did say he planned on having a church wedding soon,"

"That's probably for mom's benefit," I rolled my eyes. "You know how she is,"

I could guess that Charlie only shrugged in response. Things got quiet for a while before he spoke up again. "So…how are things with you and Edward?"

I groaned. "Dad…"

"What? I just wanna know," he retorted defensively.

"You've met him," I tried to skirt around the issue.

"Yeah but you two are 'officially an item' now," his voice started taking on that father tone. "I think I should know more about him,"

I froze. "Who told you we were an item?"

"Oh come on, Isabella. I'd have to be blind to see that boy has designs for you," I couldn't help but laugh at that. Designs. "And I may…or may not have read it…somewhere…"

"Oh my god," I groaned. "Charlie, did you read those magazines I specifically told you _not_to read?"

"What? They weren't mine, they were Leah's!" Hah. Nice excuse, Pops.

"You know those things can't be trusted!" Lord. Who knows what those magazines have printed about us. I bet I'm pregnant now or something…

"So you're telling me that you aren't dating Edward Cullen?"

I bit my lip while I tried to come up with an answer. "I didn't say that…"

"Hah! I knew it!" he all but shouted. "The magazines were all over that news,"

"I bet," I muttered.

"So when can I talk to him?"

"You already have,"

"Not as your boyfriend,"

I sighed. "Soon," I promised vaguely. "We're still busy with the tour and whatnot,"

"I can't talk to him now?"

"Daaaad…" I whined.

"Okay, okay. _Soon,"_he emphasized. "Merry Christmas, Bells,"

"Merry Christmas. Bye."

After that horrendously embarrassing conversation, I called up Jake and my few friends left in the States. My mom was next on the list and I was dreading that call. It was always the same thing with her. Scolding me about my 'childish' career choice despite New Moon's obvious success, not visiting her enough, blah blah blah.

Thankfully, she was too busy with her new husband to talk with me long and I hung up after just a few minutes.

I called Alice next with the mentality that the sooner I got the Edward talk over with, the better. Her shrill cry of excitement almost deafened me as soon as she picked up her phone. I think we talked for about an hour and a half before Edward asked me to go to dinner with him.

The next few weeks were that of happiness and relaxation. Well, I still had that _Rolling Stones_interview, but that wasn't so bad. After New Year, Jasper rejoined us on our last day in France and we made our way to Italy. Due to the delays of our concerts, it was a general consensus that we'd add more countries to the tour to make it up to people.

Our shows in the extended European leg were pretty dang awesome. Every single one was sold out and it felt like the fan base grew exponentially over the past weeks.

As for my love life, it was finally blooming. Edward was very careful with me and would make sure that I was okay first before we did any hanky panky. Course there were times when we'd get carried away and end up dry humping each other in the green room but I wasn't complaining. Not one bit.

In short, life was perfect.

"I'm so happy to be here," Emmett was giddy as we waited for our luggage in Ben Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel. "I haven't seen Gran in years!"

"You were close to your grandmother?" Peter asked, the lens aimed at him. I needed to adjust a little when Peter returned to carry on with his cameraman duties but it wasn't hard. Before long, I was used to having lens following my every move and recording everything I say again.

"Yeah. I grew up with her actually," he said. "I got her some sugar dames from Sweden. She said she loved those when I sent her some from the last European tour,"

"Isn't she diabetic?" Rosalie asked as she looked up from her PDA.

Emmett just shrugged. "She told me she'd be willing to die if it was death by sugar dame,"

I laughed. That would probably how I'd be when I got old, diabetic and hypertensive. I wouldn't give a shit if what I ate killed me as long as it was good food.

The media was waiting outside once we stepped into the Israeli sun and we were hounded by fans as we made our way to the black van waiting for us. Apparently, our arrival was equivalent to that of the arrival of royalty.

"I can't believe I'm meeting you!" a fan girl squealed while I signed her poster of mine and Edward's Converse ad. "I have those shoes now too," she said proudly, gesturing to the pair I was wearing.

"Nice," I smiled at her. Seemed like I was an effective spokesperson slash promoter.

"Oh and I really love that you and Edward are together," she casted a glance at him as he took pictures a few feet away from us.

"Ah…thanks," I offered a little awkwardly. Though we've been going out for a considerably long time now , the relationship was still kinda new to me. I dunno. It must be because it was my first time having a boyfriend.

We didn't spend a long time in the airport. Hell, we didn't spend a lot of time in the hotel much either. Rosalie had us bustling to interviews, signings and sound check not too long after. On the day of the concert itself, we were all pretty tired.

"How many songs do we have on the set list?" Jasper asked as he dug through the papers on the coffee table of the green room. "I can't find it,"

"It's right here and twenty one," I said, handing him the list of songs we had to do for the night.

"You mean twenty one plus encores," Emmett corrected, tossing his drum sticks in the air and catching them.

Edward cleared his throat while his leg bounced on the sofa. I sat next to him and ran a hand through his hair.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," he cleared his throat again. "Just a little nervous,"

I was about to respond when the stage manager knocked and signaled that it was time for the concert. As usual, the place was packed with screaming fans who were more than enthusiastic to welcome us on stage.

Everything was going well for the first few songs until I started to notice something…weird. Emmett, Jasper and I still continued to play with much gusto but Edward was faltering a bit. You could tell the crowd was getting a little restless as he began to sing less, opting instead to let them sing most parts of the songs.

When we reached the eighth tune on the set list, Edward told the audience that we were going to have intermission before we continue performing. I looked over to Jasper with a confused look. We weren't supposed to have intermission until we reached the eleventh song mark.

Jasper looked back at me with an expression mirroring my own. This wasn't what we talked about but we just shrugged and followed Edward backstage anyway.

"Are you okay?" I asked him once we were out of the audience's view.

"No," he croaked. "It's like I can't find my voice,"

"Somebody give me water!" Rosalie hollered, hearing his admittance. "Does your throat hurt?"

He nodded. "Yeah but only when I talk,"

"Since when has this happened?" Rose demanded as she looked at me.

"I don't know. He was fine a couple of days ago," I said, concern coloring my tone. I looked at Edward worriedly as he emptied a whole bottle of water one of the stage hands gave him.

"Hey man, you okay?" Emmett asked, smacking his back lightly.

Edward simply nodded.

"No, he's not," I said. "I don't think he can still do the show,"

Edward cleared his throat again. "I can try,"

"No, it'll only get worse," I protested. "We need to get you checked out first,"

As if on cue, one of the on show doctors arrived and they ushered Edward back to the green room. We all followed quickly behind them, anxious to know what his condition was.

After he was examined, the doctor turned to us with a rueful expression. "It looks like he has an infection in his vocal chords," he said. "It seems serious and I suggest you have him taken somewhere where he can be treated."

"So he can't continue the show?"

"I don't think it's a good idea for him to be talking so no, he can't continue. I'm really sorry,"

Jasper and Emmett began to panic while Rosalie maintained a level head and told them both to announce to everyone that the rest of the concert's cancelled. She didn't bother including me with them because she knew I couldn't leave Edward's side.

Once everyone was out of the green room, I looked back at Edward's form. He was seated on a table, his head down and his hands gripping the edge of the wood.

I walked over and stood in front of him, my hands coaxing his head up to look at me. "Hey," I whispered.

He didn't reply for a long time before he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me tight against him. His head was buried in my neck while I massaged his scalp and whispered words of reassurances to his ear.

"It's going to be okay. _You're_going to be okay."

He just nodded and held me closer. I prayed that I was right.


	22. Chapter 22

"You need to go back home,"

Edward and I broke from our embrace slightly to look at Rosalie.

"I mean it. The doctor said it might be more serious than what he diagnosed and I have to agree with him. You're flying back to the States tonight,"

"No," Edward's voice was low, rough and sounded painful. He pulled me closer until I was between his legs with my head tucked under his chin.

Rose sighed as she began pressing a million buttons a minute at her Blackberry. "Now's not the time for stubbornness, Cullen. I understand how you don't want to disappoint the fans but without your voice – "

"I'm not going without Bella," he interrupted her, his voice taking on a more determined tone. Even still, it sounded like it hurt when he spoke.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Well of course she's coming with you! You think I can convince her to stay? I already have your flight booked. The plane leaves an hour and a half from now. I just contacted Demetri to bring the SUV around. He'll take both of you back to the hotel then to the airport as soon as you have your stuff packed."

"What about you guys?" I asked.

"We'll follow you after a few days," she sighed again, putting her black phone in her purse. "This is going to be a setback for the tour but your health has to come first." She glanced at the doors leading to the stadium exit before looking back at us. "Take care of him," she told me as if I wasn't planning on that before. "And you," she turned to Edward. "No talking. I mean it. You _will _get better and this tour _will _resume, understand?"

With a slight smirk, Edward nodded his head.

"Good,"

Jasper and Emmett re entered the room then with panicked expressions on their faces.

"Hey man. You doing good?" Emmett asked. He leaned against the table Edward was sitting on.

Edward just gave another nod. "He's not advised to talk right now," I explained.

"That's cool. He could always just write shit down," Jasper nodded in understanding.

"Or he could use those fancy wheelchair things that science guy uses," Emmett mused, suddenly excited. "Aw, man they look totally awesome. You just press these buttons and then it talks for you. Plus there's a joystick attached to it so you can move around without walking, too."

Took me a while to figure out he was actually talking about Stephen Hawking.

We were mobbed by fans when we made our way out of the stadium and into the waiting SUV minutes later. A lot of them had tears running down their faces as they mourned for Edward Cullen. I heard a lot of 'get well soon' and 'I love you' even when the door was shut.

Edward held my hand and ran his thumb over my knuckles as Demetri drove us to the hotel. I turned in my seat and brought our twined hands to my lips, kissing the back of his gently. "We'll get through this," I told him. "Whatever's going on with you…we'll get through this,"

We arrived at the hotel only to be swarmed by paps and people again. How the news about Edward's voice spread so quickly, I will never know. After some help from our security team and the hotel's, we hurriedly packed our essentials and were escorted back to the waiting SUV.

The airport was thankfully close to our hotel so it didn't take so long to get there. After a blur of fans, photographers, and airport security, we were sitting in the waiting area while awaiting our plane.

My mind was going a mile a minute. The flight we were supposed to board would take us back to Los Angeles. Did Edward want me to stay with him in his place once we got there? Or maybe we can stay in mine. I mean, he owned a condo unit and I had a house. That meant I had more space, more privacy, and more…I dunno. Stuff?

Wait, screw that privacy thing. There were still Jake and Nessie. I haven't caught wind of them moving out anytime soon and I didn't know if Edward would be comfortable with that. Sure, him and Jake were cool but with his voice and all, I didn't know if he wanted to be around other people, really. Every time a mob flocked to us (which was often over the last few hours), I could feel him tense and he'd keep his head down.

"Bella," Edward croaked suddenly.

I pressed my lips to his to shut him up. "Shh. No talking,"

He looked at me for a long second before pulling out his phone and began typing on the touch screen. He handed it to me once he was done.

_I'm sorry._

I turned in my seat so I could face him fully and ran a hand through his hair. "Don't be. You did nothing wrong," I reached over and gave him another kiss. "I love you,"

He smiled back at me before wrapping his arms around me and burying his face in my neck. I rubbed his back comfortingly, trying to ignore the familiar snaps of someone's camera. Could they not see that we were having a moment here?

The plane eventually arrived and we boarded the first chance we got. The flight was going to take about fourteen hours so we'd get to LA at around eleven in the morning. Great. That meant more people were going to be out and about.

As usual, we took our seats in first class. No one else was there for which I was beyond thankful for.

We took off after a while and soon, we were allowed to move around the cabin again.

"Are you hungry?" I asked him. It was about ten PM and we haven't even had dinner yet.

Edward shook his head. _No appetite _his phone read.

"I still think you should eat something," I insisted as I pressed the button above head that summoned a stewardess. "Does it hurt when you swallow?"

He shook his head again just as one of them appeared. She eyed Edward a little too long for my liking but eventually served her purpose. "Is there anything I could do for you, sir?" she asked, batting her fake eyelashes at my boyfriend.

"Yeah as a matter of fact there is," I answered, my tone just a _little _sharp. "We would like to have dinner served, please."

"Certainly," she replied too saccharinely to be sincere. "Would there be anything else, sir?" he turned back to Edward. He just looked at her once and shook his head before reaching over to play with my hair.

Of course, with her out of the loop with Edward's current throat condition, she took offense and gave one last fake smile before telling us that the food would be served shortly and stomping off.

Being in first class, we were provided with choices of movies, music, and e-books. With both our laptops being conveniently discharged and Edward's iPad running low on juice, I figured we could just use something the airline provided.

"You feel like watching a movie?" I asked Edward as I passed through the selection. Blegh. You would've thought they'd have a better movie database. They only had five movies and four of them had at least one Disney girl gone slut on it. The only one left was a Nicholas Sparks novel adaptation.

"Never mind," I muttered, moving on to the other categories as Edward laughed quietly beside me. Even his melodious laugh sounded strained.

I ended up in the music video category eventually. The collection included a couple of New Moon videos we've shot in the past specifically, _Thieves Like Us, She's So Money, _and _Perfect Mistake. _

I snorted then laughed. "I can't believe they actually have these here," I pointed to the titles. "They feel like ancient history,"

My finger made contact with the touch screen as I selected _Thieves Like Us_ which we filmed in a set in New Jersey last, last year. The whole video had a _Bonnie and Clyde-_ish feel and we had to bear with the hot costumes in the middle of the sun.

Edward and I basically played the two partners in crime slash lovers while Emmett and Jasper were the detectives trying to catch us. It wasn't normally like us to feature just the front man and guitarist though most bands seemed to do that in their music videos but the director insisted that it would be awesome if we focused on the love affair between our characters. The song was sorta a love song anyway.

In some scenes, Edward and I had to get really close to each other. The fire and passion I saw in his eyes when I looked at him now that we were officially dating was in his green orbs on the screen as well. I squeezed his hand and snuggled into his shoulder as I thought of how he cared for me even back then.

I groaned at some of the scenes where my acting was just horrible. Seriously, how could they not let me re-do them before?

"I so suck at acting," I muttered as I felt my face redden and my stomach clench with embarrassment. "I couldn't even carry a gun properly!"

I felt Edward laugh as well before quieting down almost immediately. I looked at his face with concern then back at the screen. Edward was in front of his mic, belting out the song lyrics while looking intensely at the camera's lens.

I didn't get it at first but then Edward cleared his throat a little and suddenly I understood. His voice was his job. It was what he built his career around. If his condition was worse than we thought and there wasn't a way to fix it, then that could mean…

No, I have to stay positive. Of course he'll get better. It must just be the strain on his vocal chords. I mean it was barely a month after the European tour before we set off for this one and with shows going on until after midnight sometimes, I guess it was expected that Edward's voice would be experiencing some technical difficulties.

Nevertheless, I lifted the arm rest between us and crawled onto his lap. "You're going to be fine," I said before kissing his throat then his lips. "You probably just need rest,"

He grinned at me, eyes soft before capturing my lips with his again. I was suddenly very glad that we were alone in first class. I didn't think our behavior was very proper for public. Our kiss grew more heated as he moved to maneuver me so that I was straddling him. His hands went to my ass and pulled me closer so I could feel Big Eddie making an appearance again.

Just because his voice couldn't function didn't mean the rest of his body couldn't either.

I started squirming on his lap on pure instinct, trying to create friction. He moaned into my mouth and pulled me even closer than before. We were about two seconds away from dry humping to oblivion when an annoyed throat clearing made us break apart.

It was Stewardess Barbie in the flesh with a cart filled with our food. Her eyes looked furious though she had that annoying plastic smile again.

"Your dinner," she lifted the metal covers and revealed two plates with meat that looked like salmon and some vegetables. Her eyes went from my face to Edward's to how we were joined.

"Um, thanks," I muttered, blushing as usual. I made a move to get off of Edward's lap but his arms just tightened around me.

"Ma'am, we have a strict policy on ostentatious public displays of affection," she told me pointedly. Oh yeah sure, pin it on me. Never mind the boyfriend who refused to let me go.

Before I could open my mouth to say something, Edward beat me to the punch. "There's no one else around in this cabin," he croaked. "I don't think this is considered as public, do you?" He looked at the stewardess with those gorgeous eyes and charming smile.

Even with his voice a bit scathed, Barbie's eyes grew wide and her breath seemed to be stuck in her throat as she struggled to reply.

"I…uh…n-no, sir," she stuttered pathetically. I almost laughed out loud.

Edward smiled at her again, effectively dazzling her. "Glad we have an understanding. You can leave the cart there. I believe I want my dessert before dinner," he winked at her before burying his face in my neck and began sucking on the skin there.

This time, Barbie just nodded before stumbling through the curtain.

"Edward," I tried to sound stern but I ended up just moaning his name. "Edward," I tried again as I tugged on the hairs at the nape of his neck.

"Mm?" he hummed as he lifted his head so we were face to face. He had a shit eating grin on and I could practically feel the waves of smugness coming off him.

"You know that was highly inappropriate," I told him, my blush not completely gone yet. "And what did Rosalie say about talking? You're only hurting yourself,"

He shrugged. "Seemed like a good time to use do it."

I was about to continue but then he was back to kissing my neck. "Edward," I tried to get his attention elsewhere again. "You need to eat. Quit sucking on my throat," Heh. Add that to the things I never thought I'd do: asking Edward Cullen to stop giving me hickeys.

"If I could, I'd suck on your nipples instead," he whispered at my ear. "Or better yet, your clit,"

"Edward," I moaned as I rubbed myself on his lap. "Enough with the teasing. _Please." _I begged of him. "And let me get up. We need dinner,"

With a chuckle, he finally released me. We set up the folding tables in front of us and dug into our meals.

I was about halfway through my fish when my I felt my iPhone vibrate in my pocket.

"Yo," I answered with my mouth filled with vegetables.

"Bella?"

I swallowed quickly before answering. "What's up, Jake? Didn't expect to get a call from you,"

"Um, yeah. See, I'm surfing the net right now and there's this…thing that says you guys stopped the concert. What's up?"

I scratched the back of my neck and looked over at Edward. He was polishing off his dinner but once he caught me staring, he smiled back and took my free hand in his.

"Um, yeah, we had to…do that since…well, we're experiencing difficulties with…Edward's voice," I proceeded to explain to him the extent of my knowledge on the topic and that we were on our way back to LA at the moment.

"Are you guys staying here?" he asked. His tone suggested that he wasn't that much of a fan of that idea.

"I don't know yet. Why, what did you do?"

I could practically hear his eyes rolling. "Relax, your house is still standing. It's just that…honestly, it's a mess. I don't know how you've lived here without a maid for so long!"

I sighed. "What do you mean it's a mess?" 

"I mean, there are dossiers and fabric swatches and a bunch of other stupid wedding crap all over the place and we haven't had the chance to clean up."

"Ah. Getting a head start on the wedding planning, I see."

He scoffed. "What head start? According to Renee, we are _way _behind on this shit. She insists that a spring wedding would be 'absolutely divine' and that we should've started planning last December."

I chuckled at his discomfort. "Just be thankful she's not meddling on any of the actual plans."

Jake snorted. "Please. I think she's reserving that for _your _wedding since I already fucked up mine by running off the Vegas. And, speaking of your wedding, I hear things with Edward and you are getting hotter." His tone reminded me of Emmett's.

"Heh. Yeah," was my lame response.

"Well, I'd hate to say I told you so, but – "

"You're going to say it anyway," I said the same time he said "I told you so!"

"Yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes.

"So," his tone turned serious. "Do I have to give him a firm talking to?" 

"Good god, you're worse than Charlie," I moaned as Edward laughed quietly beside me. "No, you are _not _talking to him. He can barely make a sound without hurting his throat,"

"Oh, yeaaaaaaah. His vocal chords or whatever. Hey, that reminds me. You staying here or not?"

"Um…we'll have to discuss it. I'll call you back as soon as I can."

"What time are you going to land anyway? I can pick you up,"

"Thanks, and it's around noon,"

"Alrighty. Later, Bells!"

He hung up before I could say goodbye.

"What did Jacob want?" Edward spoke quietly as I shut off my phone.

"He asked me if we were going to be staying at my house once we land. Apparently, he hasn't had the place cleaned up yet since he and Nessie are in the middle of wedding planning."

His eyes widened and he stared at me intently. "You…you'd want to stay with me?"

"Of course," I said with an underlying 'duh' to my tone. "Who else is going to take care of you?"

He cleared his throat. "Sorry. I just didn't think that you'd – I mean, I assumed at first but – "

I cut him off with a hand to his mouth. "It's okay. Now you should really stop talking lest your condition grow worse. Don't worry, I'll buy you a small black board or something when we get back to the States," I smiled and he gave a laugh muffled by my hand.

"So…anyways. Blink once for my place and blink twice for yours,"

Edward thought for a minute before blinking two times in succession. I pulled my hand away and reached for my phone. "Your place it is then,"

I called Jacob and we made plans for when we land in LAX in about ten hours or so. He and Nessie were going to pick us up and drop us off at Edward's condo where I was going to stay for as long as he needed me.

The rest of the plane ride proved to be uneventful. Edward was slept through the majority of the trip and I ended up tolerating _The Notebook _just for something to do. I think I fell asleep sometime in the middle of that because the next thing I remembered was having Edward's lips pressed against my temple, effectively waking me up.

The sun was nearly at its highest as the plane descended minutes later. As usual, photographers and fans swarmed us once we made contact with American soil. Or should I say American concrete.

A lot of questions regarding Edward's condition mixed with sobs and words of concern were thrown at us as I frantically searched for Jacob's car. Jetlag, the sun and the continuous flashing bulbs were giving me a migraine.

"Bella! Bella, over here!"

I turned at the sound of the familiar voice. I was beyond relieved when I saw that it wasn't some photographer trying to get a shot but my brother trying to get my attention.

"Hey," Jacob greeted me with his usual hugs. "Welcome home,"

"Thanks," I said just as he shook hands with Edward.

"Still not allowed to talk?" he commented on Edward's quietness.

"Nope. Remind me to buy a whiteboard later,"

We got into his SUV quickly and he drove as fast as the LA traffic would allow him while trying to shake off some pesky paparazzi who insisted to follow us. After making a few rounds, we were finally on our way home.

"So how's the wedding planning?" I asked from Edward's lap. Though there was plenty of space in the backseat, he still insisted that I sit there since apparently, the sleep he got on the plane wasn't that restful. His face was currently buried in my shoulder and his arms were limply around my waist as he snoozed. I don't know how he was comfortable but I wasn't complaining.

"Stressful," Nes replied with a tired sigh. "It's like I can't find the perfect shade of pink!"

"Pink," I repeated. Pink. AKA the color that my brother hated the most. Jacob shot me a warning look through the rear view mirror as a preventive measure from me commenting rudely. "Your color scheme is going to be pink?"

"Yup. Pink and cream. It's going to be so cute!" She then proceeded to tell me how she wanted the entire reception hall to be draped with pink and cream colored fabric.

"Mm-hm and Jacob's okay with that?"

"Oh, Jacob _loves _the idea!" Nessie squealed happily and gazed lovingly at her husband.

I snickered quietly and raised an eyebrow at Jacob. "Really now," I said teasingly at him. I met his glare in the mirror and made a whipping action with my hand. Because let's face it. That boy is pussy whipped.

We arrived at the Edward's building a few minutes later and after helping us unload, Jacob and Nes said their goodbyes and drove away.

I've only been inside Edward's place once and I couldn't remember most of the details but I wasn't surprised at what I saw. It looked like your typical bachelor pad filled with neutral colors and only your basic furniture. The only personal touches I could see were some pictures on top of the mantle and a a baby grand piano by the floor to ceiling windows.

Edward set our bags on the floor and cleared his throat awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not much," he began in that same scratchy voice.

"It's fine," I squeezed his hand. "So how 'bout a tour?"

He smiled at me before pulling me through the different parts of his condo. It was pretty much the standard stuff. Kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom, and of course, the bedroom.

That room was probably the homiest part of the place. I saw a lot of childhood mementos on the desk and some candid pictures of the band on the walls. I smiled as when I spotted a silly shot of Edward and I in Brussels on the night stand.

I sat on his ginormous bed and felt the mattress dip as Edward positioned himself next to me. I felt his lips on my throat down to my shoulder, pushing my jacket off and moving the fabric of my shirt out of the way.

"Edward," I breathed. "What are you doing?"

He didn't respond. Instead, he pulled me so I was fully on the bed and was pinned beneath him. He leaned down and captured my lips with his own as he moved our forms so he was between my legs.

Just then, the distant sound of a telephone ringing interrupted…whatever we were about to do and we both groaned in unison.

"It's probably Rosalie," I muttered, annoyed as I moved to get up. Edward stayed behind as I sprinted to the living room to answer the damn phone.

"Hello?"

"Oh good. You're there," Just as predicted, Rosalie's voice resonated from the other line.

"Yeah. What's up?"

"Just checking on you guys. Oh, and I forgot to ask you before. Have you had an appointment set up for Edward yet?"

"No, not yet," I replied.

"Well you better get cracking on that. I want him cured as soon as possible."

"Yes, boss," I rolled my eyes. As soon as the call ended, I walked back to the bedroom to see Edward sprawled on top of the sheets with his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open. He didn't even bother taking his shoes off.

With a small chuckle, I made my way over and untied his sneakers before chucking them to the floor. Though the heat in Los Angeles was quite high, the air conditioning inside was as well. I dug through the linen closet and found a throw to pull over him to avoid disturbing his sleep.

Afterwards, I made a few phone calls and managed to get us an appointment with Dr. Frank Banner who specialized on throat infections. Hopefully, we'll find what was wrong and correct it soon.

The next day, Edward and I drove down to his office with some butterflies in our stomachs. There weren't much people in the building which was a big plus since the last thing we needed were some fans asking for pictures or autographs.

It wasn't long before we were called into the exam room where Dr. Banner waited with a smile on his face.

"Mr. Cullen, Miss Swan. Pleasure to be of service. I'm a bit of a fan," he reached over and shook our hands.

"Thanks." I replied for the both of us. "Um, we're actually here because Edward's experiencing some problems with his vocal chords,"

"And what would those be?" he asked as he gestured for Edward to sit on the table in the middle of the room.

"Well, the doctor back at our last concert said that he has an infection there but we need a second opinion. He can't sing or talk without hurting his throat, too."

"I see," he looked contemplative for a minute. "We'll run some tests on him and see what's going on. You can stay in the lounge while you wait."

I could see Edward about to protest to me leaving him but I patted his hand and kissed his cheek in reassurance that it was okay. Being in a doctor's room was starting to make me feel a little nauseous.

I sat and waited on the plush chairs for what seemed like forever. My foot tapped the carpet restlessly as my teeth bit into my bottom lip. What was taking them so long? The last doctor didn't take so long to see what was up.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, I was asked back into the exam room. Edward looked sullen as ever as he sat on the table, his eyes downcast.

"What's the verdict?" I asked Dr. Banner as I stood by Edward's side.

"Well, your first doctor was right. He _does _have an infection in his vocal chords. Or should I say he _did _have an infection."

"What do you mean he did? It's gone now?"

He sighed. "Unfortunately, no. Too much strain on his larynx actually made it worse. There's a cyst on his vocal chords and I'm afraid the only way to have Mr. Cullen get better is through surgery."

**Getting annoyed with authors who blackmail their readers for reviews. **

"_**I won't post the next chapter until I get forty reviews."**_

**Really bitch?**


	23. Chapter 23

Surgery.

No words could express how exactly I felt at that moment. Scared? Panicked? Close to passing out? More like all three.

My hands automatically sought Edwards' and gripped them tight. He responded in the same manner and lifted his head so he can look into my eyes. His were full of fright and sadness and I could just imagine what was going through his head.

"…so we can schedule it sometime next week," Doctor Banner concluded.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked, turning my head to face him.

"The surgery. I'm free the whole of next week so we can settle on a day then." He handed me his card and told me to call him when we decided on a day or if we had any more questions.

"Thanks," I murmured, accepting the small white rectangle. We left the building not long after and were bombarded with photographers yet again. Edward's grip on my hand practically made it purple but I didn't mind. What I did mind were the flashing bulbs and the relentless questions about the tour and Edward's condition.

Edward still insisted on driving and tore through the streets like a maniac trying to shake some really stubborn paparazzi off our trail. By the time we made it home, it was close to dinner time.

"You look exhausted," I said once we were inside. "Go to bed and I'll wake you up once there's food on the table,"

Edward just stood there and looked at me for a second before suddenly kissing me on the lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer until we both had to break away for air. We stared at each other for a long moment before he gave a small grin and stalked off to his room.

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. The next few weeks were not going to be easy. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a surgery involving removing a cyst was going to be tedious. I trusted Doctor Banner to do an awesome job, but even the best made mistakes sometimes. What if those mistakes just happened to occur when he was working on Edward?

I shook my head. All the pessimistic thoughts were getting me nowhere and besides, I had a dinner to prepare.

I wandered into Edward's kitchen and didn't hesitate to start digging through his cabinets. And I do mean dig. The cupboards and pantry were practically empty and I had to use my scavenging skills to find something even remotely edible.

I managed to find a can or two of tomato sauce which were best before September twenty four of twenty eleven and a pack of elbow macaroni which fortunately, wouldn't cause us any puking episodes. After a lot more poking around, I also found a block of cheese and some milk. Oh well. Mac and cheese is then.

Exactly the opposite of the food supply were the pots and pans. There was an abundance of them in every shape, size color, and all of them had some European brand that I'd bet cost a small fortune.

Pulling some out, I began work on the most delicious macaroni and cheese I've ever created. I was in the process of seeing if the pasta was al dente when I felt soft lips press against my neck and strong arms wrap around my waist.

"Hey," I whispered, turning in his arms and looking at him. He offered me a smile and started nibbling on my jaw. I gasped and he held me tighter. "Edward…" I breathed. "Dinner…"

I felt his lips quirk into a smile against my skin and he pulled away to look over my shoulder at what I was cooking. I quickly took one elbow out of the boiling pot to taste. It wasn't rock hard nor was it too soft so that was good enough for me.

I turned off the stove and got to draining the macaroni while I checked on the cheese sauce. I could hear Edward setting the table in the background and looking through his fridge for something to drink. I almost chuckled. We were acting so domestic.

It wasn't long before the meal was ready and we were both seated at the table. Edward raised an eyebrow as he eyed the cheesy dish in front of him.

"I didn't have much of a choice of what to make for dinner," I told him, reaching out to spoon a huge portion onto my plate. "Your kitchen is practically empty. How you survived all those years of living alone, I will seriously never know."

Edward let out a rough chuckle and spooned some of the mac and cheese onto his plate as well. With the whole cyst situation, the dinner conversation was mostly one sided. Well, not exactly. Edward still reacted but he only used his hands and facial expressions instead of the velvet voice I was missing so much.

We were about to clear the table when the phone hanging on the kitchen wall rang. I walked over and answered it on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Miss Swan?" It was Edward's doorman, Cliff. "You have some visitors."

"Uh…who, exactly?" I asked. It was close to quarter to ten PM. Who could possibly be visiting at this hour?

"Miss Swan, they wish to speak to you," he said instead of answering me.

"Bella!" Emmett's rich baritone reached my ears. "How's it hangin'?"

"Hey Em. Oh, uh, you know. The usual. Just finished dinner," I offered lamely.

"Awesome," he replied. "I could actually use a few eats now myself…" I heard a smack in the background and I was almost sure it was Rosalie. I laughed.

"Put Cliff back on and I'll send you guys up,"

After clearing everything, I sat next to Edward on the sofa and waited for our friends to get to the door. "Emmett and the others are downstairs. I hope you don't mind but I sent them up,"

Edward smiled and shook his head before pulling me into his arms. I sighed and rested my head against his chest contentedly. Too soon, our bubble was broken as a large fist banged against the wooden door.

Rosalie and Emmett emerged from the other side as soon as I opened the door and Emmett being, well, Emmett, made himself at home on the couch almost immediately.

"How is he?" Rose asked as she hung her coat on the rack by the door. I bit my lip before answering, knowing that what I was going to say wasn't exactly good news.

"He needs surgery," I told her. "The doctor found a cyst on his vocal chords and the only way to get it out is through surgery."

Rosalie was quiet for a long second before she let out a huge breath. "Alright, then. Anything to get Edward better." She peeked at the living room where Edward and Emmett were engaged in a game of _Street Fighter X Tekken._Emmett was talking smack as usual while Edward occasionally raised him the finger.

"Where's Jasper, by the way?" I asked as we joined them.

"Florida. Went to get Alice,"

Everyone was quiet for a while – well, save for Emmett who still continued to talk down on Edward's character. I was about to get up and offer everyone something to drink when Rosalie spoke up.

"We're going to have to release official statements," she said. "We kinda left everyone hanging by just stopping the tour."

I nodded. "If we don't, the media's going to go crazy coming up with dumbass reasons why we suddenly went back to the States."

"When is it going to be, by the way?"

"When is what going to be?"

"Edward's operation." The moment the words left Rosalie's lips, Emmett dropped his controller and his head whipped around to face Edward.

"Dude…you're getting an operation?" he practically shrieked. Edward stopped playing as well and looked at him before nodding his head slowly.

"Why the hell didn't you say anything, bro?" he demanded. When Edward raised his eyebrow at him and pointed to his throat, things became clearer for Emmett.

"Right. Can't talk. How the hell do you communicate around this place then?"

"I haven't gotten to getting him a whiteboard yet," I shrugged.

"Go buy one then. What the fuck is happening with him?" It was comical to see Emmett's face so concerned. If the situation wasn't so serious, I probably would've laughed.

"They found a cyst in his vocal chords," Rosalie answered him. "He's going to need surgery to get better,"

"That won't affect his voice in any way, would it?"

"There's…a possibility," I said but quickly added "But Doctor Banner's good. I'm sure Edward would be just fine and better than ever,"

"Well hell, you better be, bro," he patted Edward's back. "I literally don't know what to do with myself if I wasn't a drummer,"

Edward's face turned into a poker faced mask at his words. I think it all hit him at that moment. All our careers were riding on the success of his operation. If there was just one slip up…I didn't want to think about that.

"I think it's time we should go," Rosalie must have noticed the sudden shift in his demeanor. She stood up and dragged Emmett up by his ear. "We'll show ourselves out. I'll call you soon." And with that, they were gone.

I quickly got up and wrapped my arms around him as soon as the door closed. His stiff posture loosened some and I could feel his weight leaning on me.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered against the fabric covering my stomach.

"Stop saying that," I muttered. "Like I've said a million times, this isn't your fault. You sing for a living, Edward. There's nothing wrong in doing your job,"

"But if something goes wrong with the surgery – "I cut him off. "Nothing is going to go wrong." I said with as much conviction as I could muster.

"It's still a possibility," he mumbled.

I sighed and kneeled in front of him. "Okay, you're right. There's a chance that things…may not go as smoothly as we want. But no matter what happens, we'll be together, alright? Whether or not we can still do this band thing, I'll still be yours. I'm not leaving you,"

I placed my palm on his cheek and he finally raised his head to look at me. His once vibrant green eyes were tainted with guilt.

"I love you and I'm not going anywhere. Even if you can't sing for shit." He smiled and pulled me closer for a sweet kiss.

"Let's go to bed," I said when we broke away. "I still have a lot of stuff to do tomorrow like grocery shopping for your sad excuse of a pantry,"

We did our nightly rituals and made sure everything was locked up before heading to the bedroom.

Though we were on the bed and the lights were off, neither of us was asleep. We were quiet, though. The only sounds I could hear were the hum of the air conditioning and Edward's heartbeat under my ear.

I stared off at the window near the bed. The bright lights of Los Angeles outside were beautiful but not distracting enough to keep me from thinking of our current predicament. I placed myself in Edward's shoes and thought about how I would feel if I lost the ability to play any instrument – though the only way I could see that happening was if my hands were chopped off. But that aside, I'd probably be devastated and hopeless beyond belief. Music was my passion. It was what I liked to think I was born to do. If it was taken from me…

Well, let's just say that Edward was handling the situation _waaaay_better than how I would've.

"Bella?" Edward's rough voice pulled me away from my monologue.

"Shh, Edward. Go to sleep. You're not supposed to be talking,"

"I can't sleep," he croaked and I sighed. "Neither can I," I admitted.

"Can I ask something?"

"Sure."

"What…what would you do if – if something goes wrong?"

I released myself from his arms so I could look at him straight in the eye. "Edward, I've told you. I'd still be with you,"

"I believe you," he reassured me. "I was just wondering about your second career option,"

"Oh," I haven't really thought of that. I mean, before New Moon, I was working as a waitress in a little restaurant at Forks. Rosalie practically threatened me to join the band after hearing me play in a local club since they were still short of a guitarist those days.

"Well…I'd probably be an author," I said. "Writing's my second passion and I would've been a Literature major if I had any money for college years ago.

"What about you?" I asked him.

"Photographer," he admitted.

"Ah," I wasn't really surprised. The few pictures hanging around the apartment and majority of the ones in his room were his work and they were pretty good for an amateur.

"That's good," I nodded. "That means I can travel with you when you have assignments all over the world. All I need is a laptop and Internet access," I grinned at him.

Edward chuckled and pulled me to him, tucking my head under his chin after giving me a quick kiss. We fell asleep almost immediately after, feeling lighter than we had minutes ago.

"How come they never have the S'Mores flavor anymore?" I muttered-asked to myself as I inspected the Pop Tarts shelf in the grocery store. All I could see were the fruit flavors which I wasn't really a fan of. Whatever. I took a box of the strawberry flavored ones and tossed it into my cart.

The thing was really starting to get harder to push. I guess that was expected considering I had numerous cans and a ton of meat amongst the other perishable goods. I've been in the store for about an hour now but only two or three people came up to me and asked for a picture and an autograph which was good. I wasn't really up to answering any more tour related questions some of them asked me.

After getting a pack of mini 3 Musketeers, I made my way to the line at the cashier. On the way, I spotted some cork boards for sale at the side of the store. I came closer to see if they had any whiteboards and lo and behold, they had some…with borders decorated with baby farm animals.

I actually laughed aloud and got the baby blue one with the sleeping baby ducks. Edward was going to _love_this. I can feel it.

I got back in line and it was my turn pretty quickly. While the girl checked out my purchases, I took a peek at some of the magazines on the stand. The usual Hollywood bullshit covered the glossy pages. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were getting married (though I did hope that was true), Jennifer Aniston was super excited about her twins, Bella Swan and Edward Cullen were going to be parents –

…

WHAT?

Ignoring the cashier's odd look, I grabbed the magazine only to discover that it was held to the stand with a load of Scotch tape.

"Ma'am, would you like to buy that?" the girl asked me. I was beyond happy that she apparently didn't know who I was and probably just assumed that I was an Edward Cullen obsessed fan who panicked when she realized her husband in her head had knocked up his guitarist.

"Uh…no, no. I just wanted a closer look, that's all," I gave a weird sounding laugh.

"If you're not gonna purchase it then don't mess with the tape,"

"Why is it taped down to the stand, anyway?"

"So that no one'd steal 'em," she looked at me like I was the most ignorant idiot on the planet.

There were actually some people who stole three dollar magazines? What has become of the world today?

I ran out of there as soon as the last item was bagged. Pregnant. Where the hell did they get that sick idea?

I snorted. I was still a _virgin_for Pete's sake! That has got to be the farthest thing from what I was.

I reached Edward's condo a few minutes later and thanked Cliff for offering to help me with the groceries. Edward's smiling face greeted me at the door and he took over the kind old man's job of transferring the bags to the kitchen.

"I got you something," I said as I dug through the bags before pulling out the baby blue white board. "Ta-da!"

Edward stared at it for a moment before he burst out laughing. The sound was throaty and sounded a bit scratchy but I couldn't help but smile at his reaction. It was the first time he had let out a genuine laugh since our time in Israel.

He took it from my hand and uncapped the marker that came with it to write his very first message.

_Best gift ever. Thank you._

I chuckled and kissed his cheek. "You're welcome. Now help me unpack everything."

We worked together in companionable silence before the phone rang. I didn't answer and just let it keep going but when the caller reached us for the third time, I sighed and unhooked the phone from the wall.

"Hello?"

"What have you done to my son?"

"Good to hear from you too, Esme," I replied as pleasantly as I could. As soon as that came out, Edward's eyes locked with mine and he stood next to me.

"What's this I'm reading about losing his voice?" she demanded. "What have you done to him?"

"Esme, I haven't done anything. There was an infection on his vocal chords due to too much strain on his larynx and it – "

"And how dare you not inform me of this. I am his _mother!"_I had to hold back a sigh but I did roll my eyes.

"We haven't formally told anyone outside the band and the doctor yet," I tried to placate her. "You're actually the first one we – "

"Where is he? I demand to speak to my son," she interrupted me for the nth time.

"Um...I can't really do that right now,"

"How dare you – "

"Listen to me, Esme," it was my turn to cut her off this time. "The doctor recommended that Edward lay off from using his voice for a while. It hurts him when he talks,"

Esme ignored me and continued to rant about how I was a conniving bitch who 'bewitched' her son and drove him away from the 'right' path. I've had just about enough. I was taking care of her boy and this is what I get as payment?

Before I could open my mouth to tell her off, Edward snatched the phone from my hand.

"You will not speak to my girlfriend like that, mother," he growled. The fact that his voice was rough and husky made it sound all the more menacing.

He cleared his throat before answering again. "She isn't lying! Can't you hear how strained I sound?"

A hand ran through his bronze hair and he pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. "No, I am _not_going to England. I have a doctor here who his perfectly capable of – "

"I'm a fucking adult! You can't – No. You know what? Don't bother calling anymore," he slammed the phone back to its stand. That was the loudest I've heard his voice since we instructed him to stop talking. He coughed and cleared his throat; it must have hurt after that outburst.

I ran to the sink and got him a tall glass of water which he drank until the glass was empty.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Shh, no more talking," I shushed him and kissed him on the lips and brought his white board in front of him with a smile. He smiled back and took it without a word.

Esme didn't bother calling back anymore which was good news. In fact, the rest of our day was pretty uneventful. Edward made use of his new toy a lot as he wrote 'I love you' and showed it to me with a gorgeous smile on his face at least twenty times. I smiled back every time and whispered that I loved him too before pressing my lips to his.

We also discussed his surgery and agreed that he would go through it four days from now on Wednesday.

Alice and Jasper paid us a visit the next day with baby Bryce in tow. The kid was way cuter in real life than through a webcam.

"We can come with you," Alice offered after we informed her of the surgery schedule. "Moral support and all that,"

"_Thanks. I'd really appreciate that,"_Edward wrote quickly in his elegant script. It boggled my mind how he managed to write so fast yet so beautifully.

"Wait, what about baby?" I asked, shifting Bryce on my lap. He was too distracted with my hair to notice but my legs were getting uncomfortable.

"My sister's in town," Jasper answered. "She can watch him,"

We informed Rosalie and Emmett of the plans on Wednesday as well and she agreed with Alice's idea of staying with me until Edward was through with the operation. She also reminded Jasper and I about the press conference she had set up for the next day to answer all questions regarding the tour.

Time flew by for the next days with the exception of the conference where the media was relentless. It felt like Jasper, Emmett and I sat there for days instead of an hour and a half clarifying Edward's condition and what would become of the tour.

Questions about my dating status were also asked but Rosalie made sure that we only answered queries about the matter at hand. A couple of pregnancy issues were raised as well and I was half tempted to shout the fact that I was still a virgin. The clearer side of my head won out and managed to convince me not to.

Wednesday arrived eventually. To say we were on edge was a complete understatement. I don't even know how we drove from the condominium to Doctor Banner's building but we managed to get there unscathed. I wish I could say the same for some of the photographers who ambushed us.

The rest of the band plus their respective partners were going to join is after a few since they still had some business to take care of so for now, it was just me and Edward.

"You nervous?" I asked him as we ascended through the elevator.

Edward gripped my hand tighter. I took that as a yes.

It wasn't long before we finally reached our designated floor and made our way to Doctor Banner himself. He was already in his scrubs, waiting for us in the reception room.

"Morning," he greeted us with a smile as he took the chart his secretary was handing him. Edward nodded and I gave a weird sounding "Hello,"

"We'll start in a couple of minutes," he said, signing something and handing it back to the girl. "Miss Swan, you'll have to stay here. Mr. Cullen, if you'll follow me…"

Edward gave another curt nod but didn't follow behind Doctor Banner who was walking down the hallway. Instead, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me with all he had. His lips roughly opened my mouth and his tongue played with mine. I've tried French kissing with Edward before but it was nothing like this.

If it weren't for the person who cleared his throat, we probably wouldn't have stopped for another hour or so. I reluctantly pulled my lips away from his and we stared at each other.

No words were spoken but none were needed. Everything that we needed to say to each other was conveyed through our eyes. Sounds cheesy, I know, but it was true.

Edward placed a quick kiss on my forehead before following after Doctor Banner who went back when he realized Edward wasn't with him.

I closed my eyes and let out a huge breath. He was going to be fine, I told myself. I opened my eyes and plopped down on one of the cushy chairs when I noticed the receptionist glaring at me. Whatever, lady. You're the least of my problems right now.

And so began What Bella Does While She's Waiting for Her Boyfriend's Operation to Finish (BDWSWFHBOF for short). I initially tried to distract myself with some of the magazines laid out on the coffee table. But since practically all of them were gossip rags that had stories about New Moon, that was a no go.

Then I played Angry Birds on my iPhone. Problem was I was such a perfectionist at that game and I refused to get out of a level (though I already passed it) until I destroyed every single crate, rock, or block that the green pigs were standing on.

For the next couple of minutes, I got distracted by the abstract painting on the wall. It only had primary colors on it and I decided that it was an artistic representation of Superman.

"Bella, what are you staring at?"

My neck snapped at the sound of the familiar voice and saw Alice bounding over to sit next to me. She gave me a quick hug as Jasper also came into view.

"Have they started already?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm not sure how long the surgery's going to take, though,"

"Well, you don't need to worry. Edward is going to be perfectly fine and we'll be back on tour in no time!" Alice assured me with a pat on my hand and a wide grin. "I can sense it,"

"We?"

"Yeah. Jasper and I talked about it and we decided that Bryce can come with us."

"Is that safe for him? I mean, he's like three months old,"

"Sure. We talked to the doctor about it and everything,"

I was really thankful for Alice and Jasper being there. They ate up more time than I could have if I were alone. Rosalie and Emmett joined the party too and helped me distract myself from any morbid thoughts.

After a few hours though, everyone had to leave since they all had other commitments. Great. Back to worrying my ass off.

I think I may have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, the receptionist was shaking me awake and telling me that the operation was over.

I practically shoved her out of the way as I raced down the hall and searched for Edward's room. I found the right one where I saw him lying in bed with a bunch of wires connected to him while Doctor Banner stood by. He was awake and the moment he heard me, his green eyes flickered to mine.

"Edward," I panted as I rushed to his side. "Are you okay? How's your voice?"

I was expecting him to open his mouth and let me hear the warm, velvet voice I loved so much but instead, he simply looked back at me.

Had something gone wrong?


	24. Chapter 24

Had something gone wrong?

"No, Miss Swan, Mr. Cullen's just fine," Doctor Banner assured me as he looked over a chart. I hadn't realized I had said that out loud.

"He's just in recovery," he continued. "His vocal chords are still tender and need some time to heal. That means absolutely no talking,"

I let out a huge breath of relief. "Thank Lord. I thought something happened," I ran my hand through Edward's hair, pushing a few strands that landed on his forehead away. His free hand reached for mine and squeezed.

"How long does he have to be quiet?" I asked after a while.

"Hm? About two weeks," the doctor replied. "He's already doing quite well, actually. Everything's running smoothly."

"Okay," I nodded before turning to Edward. "Now you can put that cute little white board to more use!"

Edward cracked a smile before pulling me down and burying his head in the crook of my neck. The hug was a little awkward what with half of my body dangling off the bed and the wires strapped to his arm, but I reveled in it just the same. No one could tire of being in Edward Cullen's arms.

I don't know how long we stayed like that but the moment was eventually broken by the growling of my stomach.

I decided to order out since I didn't feel like walking into the lion's den that was the paparazzi waiting outside and I didn't know if the building cafeteria was any good. After chowing down every single thing that I ordered – much to Edward's amusement – I sat on the chair by his bed and played with his fingers.

"Told you everything was going to be fine," I said though for a second there, I really thought he was going to go Julie Andrews on me.

Of course, Edward couldn't say anything back but he did roll his eyes at me as he remembered my minor freak out earlier.

"Maybe we should do an update on the website already," I muttered. "I bet all the fan girls are having panic attacks and sacrificing Heineken to make sure you're alright,"

He let out a quiet laugh and I continued to ramble. It was like that for the rest of our stay there in that room. I'd use my incredible talkativeness and inability to shut up to fill in his silence while he'd react using his face and sometimes his hands.

Nothing exciting really exciting happened the entire time we were there. Well, not counting me calling Esme. I think she had selective deafness. Seriously. I think we talked for about an hour and a half and by talk, I do mean her yelling at me for…something while I tried to keep telling her that Edward was fine.

The rest of the gang came to visit as well. Alice asked a million questions even before I could tell her that Edward was officially mute for the next two weeks while Emmett became fascinated by the machines surrounding Edward's bed. Rosalie, as usual, was all business, discussing when we'll resume touring, press conferences, yadda yadda and Jasper was too busy trying to stop his kid from pulling his growing blond hair.

I didn't get to keep track of the days we were there but we were released soon enough. As soon as we stepped out of the building, photographers were in our face again. I resisted the urge to flip them the bird as Edward and I slipped into the Volvo and drove home.

I collapsed onto the bed almost as soon as we were in his apartment. Sleep wasn't something that came easily for me for the past days and the familiarity of Edward's room made my eyes droop the second I stepped in.

The side of the mattress dipped and Edward's arms wrapped around me and pulled me close. I sighed contentedly and burrowed into his shoulder. I was moments away from drifting off into oblivion when my phone vibrated in my pocket.

"For the love of cheese," I groaned and rolled away so I could answer.

"Hello?" I groaned.

"How could you be so irresponsible?"

I closed my eyes and buried my face in a nearby pillow. After a few seconds of the voice at the other end yelling at me with that annoying shrill tone, I resurfaced and placed the iPhone back to my ear.

"What are you talking about, mom?" I asked, wanting to get the conversation over with already though I was curious as to what made her say such.

"Pregnant? Isabella Marie Swan, what on earth is wrong with you?"

Edward suddenly looked startled. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. _Hooooo boy._It appeared Renee had seen that magazine cover, too.

"Mom, I'm not – "

"And with that boy? You used to be such a smart girl, Isabella. Now you're falling for that – that – _lothario!_What has Charles done – "

"Hey, dad has nothing to do with this," I growled in defense of Charlie. "And I'm not pregnant!"

"How long did you think you could keep this from me?" she continued like I never said anything. Lord god above. It's Esme all over again!

"I'm not keeping anything from you," I replied as calmly as I could. "Trust me, if I was pregnant, I'd let you know," Well, that was a complete lie. She'd probably be the last person that would find out so I guess I couldn't blame her for shouting my ear off about this.

Heh, isn't _that_ complete bullshit. Of _course_I could blame her seeing as I'm not mother-freakin' pregnant.

"Are you even listening to me?" Renee pulled me out of my internal monologue.

_No, I am not fucking listening to you._

"Yeah," I said instead. "Mom, you have to listen to me. I. Am. Not. Pregnant!"

"Then what's this I'm reading then? Lies?"

_Uh, YEAH._

"Yes! You know how the media twists things around."

"Why the sudden return to the States, then? And you haven't even told me you were coming back!"

I literally smacked myself in the face. I was losing my patience and losing it fast. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and turned to see Edward smiling sympathetically at me.

"Well?"

"It's Edward, okay? He had an untreated throat infection which resulted to him having a cyst in his vocal chords. We had no choice but to stop the tour and come back home so he could get treated,"

"And your visits to that clinic?"

"What clinic?"

"Don't you dare play stupid with me," she scolded. "That building you've been going to! I know you've been seeing a doctor,"

I scratched my head in frustration. "Mom, that was _Edward's_doctor. We were seeing a specialist who could treat him,"

"How do you explain that toy store in Paris then? You're already looking for – "

I groaned really loudly this time and stopped myself from doing a facepalm. Hell, a headdesk would've been more appropriate.

"Those were for charity," I said exasperatedly. "Edward's parents had a charity event at their house in Paris. They were benefitting kids, ergo, their gifts were the toys we got for them,"

Despite my valid (and completely true) explanations, Renee still didn't let up nagging me. Like I said, Esme all over again.

The call ended eventually and I ended up more exhausted than I was minutes ago.

Edward's hand that was resting on my shoulder slid down my back and rubbed it comfortingly. I crawled onto his lap and buried my face in his shoulder again.

"Aren't our mothers just rays of sunshine," I scoffed, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Edward gave his own snort and continued to rub my back.

"That was pretty clever though, coming up with that story," I admitted. Everything did sorta make sense. Me and Edward coming out with our relationship, shopping at a toy store, the tour suddenly stopping, going to a doctor…except that doctor wasn't exactly an OB-GYNE, now was he?

I must've fallen asleep amidst my ramblings because the next time I opened my eyes, it was dark and I was snuggled under the covers. The smell of something edible wafted through the door and that immediately got me out of the bed despite the sudden vertigo I experienced from moving too quickly.

Rubbing my eyes, I wandered out of the room to see Edward sitting in front of his huge screen TV with a box of pizza in front of him.

"Hey," I greeted as I collapsed next to him.

_Good nap?_He wrote quickly on his white board.

"Yeah," I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Didn't you sleep?"

_I did, just not for a long time._

"Ah," I replied and reached for a slice of pie and began shoveling it down my throat.

_Alice called._

I raised my eyebrow at him. "Really? How did you talk to her?"

_I didn't. I let the answering machine get it then listened._

"Smart," I approved. "What did she want?"

Edward used a tissue from the side table to wipe away his previous answer and started scribbling away. I stopped him mid-stroke. "I"ll just go listen to the message. I have a feeling it's a long one,"

He gave a big smile and nodded. Figures. Alice wasn't one to use a few words to get her point across.

Edward didn't have the usual welcome message thing for his answering machine so after a few seconds and the beep sounded, Alice's perky voice filled the living room.

"_Hi Edward, Bella! I know you guys just got home from the surgery and Edward's still recovering but I have this huge favor to ask. See, our wedding anniversary's coming up so Jasper wants to take me out for dinner and for us to spend the night at a hotel. Bernie has an assignment in Vietnam and flies out tonight and Rose and Emmett are busy with their own plans so there's no one else left to watch Bryce which means that I'd totally appreciate it if you guys would be his parents for tomorrow night. Call me back as soon as you get this message. Toodles!"_

I stared at the answering machine a little too long after the message finished. Alice practically recited the entire thing in one breath.

Shaking my head, I made my way back to Edward. "So…what do you think?"

He looked back at me with an asking expression.

"About…that," I jutted my thumb over by his telephone. "You up to playing dad tomorrow?"

He gave me a smile and nodded before picking up the white board and quickly jotting something down.

_Sure. You up to playing mom?_

"Yeah, why not," I smiled. The way I said the words was pretty casual, but inside I admit I was a bit giddy at the thought of having a little baby between Edward and I. Parents for one night, indeed.

I called Alice back and assured her that we were in. After the chorus of squeals and 'thank you's,' we finally settled on a plan.

"Do I have to buy something or are you dropping off everything he needs?" I asked.

"I'll bring over all the essentials," she assured me. "But he could do with some new books. My baby's a smart one. He's already bored with all the _Goodnight Moon_ and _One Fish, Two Fish."_

I laughed. "No problem. Maybe he'll appreciate some of the stuff I had when I was around his age,"

"You still have them?"

"I couldn't bear to throw or give any book away. They're back at my house,"

After deciding what time Bryce was going to be dropped off and what time he was going to be picked up the next morning, I decided to pay Jacob a visit and get my old books.

"I'm heading over to my place. You wanna come?" I asked Edward as I tied my laces. He was still in bed, under the covers and didn't seem to hear me as he hadn't moved.

"Edward?" I got off the foot of the bed and stood by his side, placing a hand on his forehead.

Well, he wasn't dead but he was dead asleep. I looked at the digital clock at his bedside and saw that it was twelve fifteen in the afternoon.

That figured. Edward didn't really wake up until about one o'clock. That meant I had forty-five minutes to make a run to my house.

After I dug through his closet and took one of his hoodies, I planted a soft kiss on Edward's forehead and made my way to the parking garage and eventually, my house.

"Jacob?" I called as I entered through the front door. Though the smell of the place was the same, the look was definitely not.

Scattered all throughout the foyer and living room were pink swatches, fabric samples, dossiers and magazines opened to seemingly random pages. Heh. Guess he wasn't kidding when he mentioned something about my house being wedding central.

I pulled the hood off my head as I wandered into my kitchen and saw an elderly woman sitting at my island and browsing through a book.

She looked up suddenly and met my eyes with a surprised expression mirroring my own.

"I'm sorry, dear. Can I help you?" she asked me, raising one plucked eyebrow at me.

"Uh, yeah, sorry, but who are you and what are you doing here exactly?" It wasn't a very polite response but I had a feeling this lady wasn't a fan of politeness herself.

"I believe I should be asking you that question, dear,"

You have got to be kidding me. Here this random old lady was in _my_house, ate something that came from _my_kitchen judging from the empty plate resting beside her and she had the balls to actually say that?

"Listen, lady – "

"Bella!" Jacob appeared from out of the blue and quickly jogged over to my side. "You didn't let me know you were coming over,"

"Didn't know I had to call to go to my own home," I huffed at him.

"Jacob, who is this?" the Grouch asked brother dearest. "And what does she mean _her_home? She isn't your mistress, is she?"

"_FUCK_no!" Jacob and I shouted disgustedly at the same time.

"First of all that is just…gross and second, I'm his sister," I cringed at the incestuous thought.

"Yeah, Tia, this is Bella, my older sister. She actually owns this house," Jake explained. "Bells, this is Tia. Nessie's mom."

I smirked at the Grouch as her eyebrows shot up and she scrambled to get up from her seat.

"Of course! Isabella! You have a very lovely home," she complimented as she came closer. "The architecture is just elegant and you have a lovely garden. Did you plant those lovely roses yourself?"

Mm-hm. _Now_you sing me praises.

"Yeah, I did…uh, I actually just stopped by to pick some shit up. I'll be going back to Edward's in a few," I explained to Jacob but Tia was the one who responded.

"Oh, of course! How is the young man? Is he getting better?" she widened her eyes in concern.

"Um…will you excuse us for a sec. I just need to…I need Jacob to help me with something in my room," I smiled then proceeded to grab my brother by the collar of his shirt and dragged him out of the kitchen, not stopping until we reached the outside of my bedroom on the third floor.

"Bella – "

"What the hell is going on?" I demanded.

"Wait, let me explain," he adjusted his shirt. I think I may have stretched the neck beyond repair.

"Nessie's parents just got divorced and her mom was having a really tough time so I may have suggested that she stay here until the wedding," he bit his bottom lip as he awaited my response.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "And you didn't think to tell me this, why?"

He shrugged sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck. "Well, with the wedding and stuff, it sorta slipped my mind and I figured you were busy with Edward,"

I sighed and rubbed my face. "Guess we can't kick the Grouch out now, now can we," I muttered. "Fine, fine. Whatever. Just…fine,"

I opened the door to my room and made my way to my floor to ceiling shelves in search of my favorite books as a kid.

"Hey Bells," Jake called from the doorway.

"Nice hoodie,"

I looked at him, confused before I caught sight of the back of the garment through the mirror I had propped up in a corner. The word _CULLEN_ was emblazoned across the black fabric. Though the letters were already kinda fading from use, there was no mistaking what they spelled out.

I smirked and shook my head. The media was going to have a field day when they see me walking around with this on.

Once I had all thirty seven of my childhood books in my backpack, I bounded down the stairs and went straight to the kitchen. I was getting hungry and knowing Jacob, the refrigerator would be full.

The Grouch wasn't there anymore when I entered which was fine. I didn't exactly know how to act around her considering her earlier assumptions that still made me cringe.

I quickly whipped myself up a roast beef sandwich and decided to polish it off with some milk. The fridge was stocked to the brim with it and I suddenly remembered what I forgot to buy when I went grocery shopping.

"Jake?" I called out and in an instant, he was by the doorway leading to the backyard.

"What is it?" he panted. "Is it Tia?"

"Nah," I shook my head. "Just wanted to ask if I could take home a carton or two," I pointed to the fridge shelf of dairy.

"Jeez, you had me panicking for nothing," he muttered. "Yeah, you can take some if you want,"

"Thanks," I grabbed the chocolate flavored ones. "I forgot to buy this the last time I went grocery shopping and I don't really want to go back just for that. Edward's probably…" That reminded me. "Speaking of Edward, I need to get back. Thanks again,"

"No problem," he scratched his head. "Um, hey Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not…pregnant, right?"

I whipped around to face him so quickly my hair slapped me. "What?"

"Renee called," he said. "She…mentioned something about you…and Edward…"

I let out a harsh breath and narrowed my eyes. "What did she say," I asked bluntly.

"Uh…she asked me if you were…expecting," he was starting to cower at my anger though it wasn't directed to him.

"And?"

"I told her you weren't," he assured me quickly. "But…I wasn't sure,"

I sighed, exasperated. "I'm not, okay? I mean, we haven't even had – "I cut myself off before I could say anything more.

"You haven't even had…" Jacob tried coaxing the rest.

"Nothing," I muttered, getting ready to leave. "Thanks again for the milk,"

"Wait, you haven't had…Bella, are you still a virgin?"

I just nodded in response. "I really have to go. Edward's probably awake by now." And with that, I strode the hell out of there.

_Where did you go?_

I smiled at Edward's simple whiteboard message and stood on my tip toes to give him a kiss. "Just my place. You were still asleep when I left and I didn't want to wake you up,"

He nodded and wrapped his arms around me which was awkward considering the bag slung across my back.

"I got my old books for Bryce," I informed him as I pulled away and began unpacking the volumes onto the coffee table. "And some chocolate milk since I forgot to buy those last time,"

We didn't really do much the rest of the day. We just lollygagged, watched too much bad television and dry humped more than twice. It was kinda embarrassing how loudly I yelled when I came but I didn't really care.

At around five in the afternoon, the Whitlocks finally arrived with what seemed like all the contents of Bryce's room.

"He seriously needs all of that?" I asked as some guys moved a huge toy box into the condo.

"Bella, when you have a child, you'll understand," Alice patted my hand before yelling. "The crib's not supposed to be pushed against the wall!"

"This is…a lot to take in," I said. A fancy looking crib and changing table were placed in the bedroom while various toys and stuffed animals were scattered around the place. I was also handed CDs of _Barney, Teletubbies, Winnie the Pooh,_and about every other children's show there was.

_Is Bryce staying here for a night or for a month?_Edward asked while he watched his bachelor pad be transformed into a daycare center.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Just you wait until you two have babies. You'll probably be worse,"

_When Edward and I have babies…_

I turned and saw Jasper handing Bryce to Edward. He was a little awkward about it at first but soon, he was comfortable with the little man in his arms. In my mind, I imagined that it was our baby he was carrying and holding like it was the most precious thing in the world.

Suddenly, I wished that the rumors were true I had been so adamant in refuting were true.

"That's everything," Jasper announced, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I stuck all the emergency phone numbers to the fridge. Don't hesitate to call us at any time,"

"We won't," I smiled. "You guys go and have fun. We'll see you tomorrow morning,"

"Make sure he's asleep early, 'kay? I know you two have vampiric habits," Alice shot us a look before turning to her son and adjusting his little bonnet.

"Mommy's going to miss you so much," she cooed. "Be nice for Aunt Bella and Uncle Edward,"

After more fussing and baby talk, Jasper finally dragged his wife away while muttering something about lost dinner reservations.

"Looks like it's just us, buddy," I tickled Bryce's tummy and he giggled adorably.

As the sun set and the night arrived, Edward and I had a lot of fun playing house. Bryce was a really behaved baby who only cried when he absolutely had to. He must've gotten that trait from Jasper. Most of the time he just played with his toys or watched in awed silence as that annoying purple dinosaur pranced around on screen.

It was around nine-thirty when I figured it was bed time so I put the baby on my lap and read to him. I think I already went through ten books with him and he still wasn't showing any signs of drowsiness.

That wasn't the case for Edward, though. He was already yawning and struggling to stay awake. I think it had something to do with the pain reliever he took since claimed to have a headache earlier.

"Edward, you should go to sleep," I told him, scooting closer and kissing his temple.

He shook his head and wrapped an arm around me, putting Bryce between us. The little guy gave a laugh and began tugging at Edward's shirt.

"Don't worry about him, we'll be fine," I assured him. "I just need to find a way to wear him out,"

After a little more persuasion, Edward finally trudged off to bed. Meanwhile, I tried to tire Bryce out with more books, toys, and even dancing around the apartment to the music in my head.

We eventually ended up on the couch again and I figured we could just eat and watch some TV.

_How to Train Your Dragon_was about to play in Star Movies when I turned it on. It was an animated flick so I deemed that as suitable for children. Bryce wiggled in my arms and I set him down on my lap so we could watch the movie more comfortably.

"Nothing like a Saturday night with some milk and a DreamWorks movie, eh buddy?" Bryce giggled adorably as I held his bottle filled with baby formula to his mouth. Of course I had my own chocolate version of the milk sitting on the end table, waiting for me to chug it all down.

I had the baby burped and ready for some movie action not too long after just as when the protagonist began with the opening narration. I downed a few gulps of chocolate milk as the first scenes played out.

To be honest, I was expecting the movie to be something I wouldn't really enjoy but as Bryce and I watched, I realized that I could relate to the story. The main character, Hiccup, was a disappointment to his dad since he couldn't be what he wanted him to be.

Story of my life. Oh the drama.

As the story progressed, the more chocolate milk I downed. I didn't read what the label was but I was definitely buying this shit next time. It was highly addictive.

"See that's just wrong," I told Bryce as I took another swig. I've gone through about eight glasses already and for some reason, I was feeling tipsy. "Parents should allow their kids to be whatever they want and if they want to be some sort of a dragon trainer or whatever, then let 'em be! It's their life, you know?"

The baby just looked back at me with wide eyes.

"Don't worry, he'll do something," I assured my movie buddy as Hiccup's dragon was captured and forced to lead the other Vikings to the dragon nest. "He has to. That's his pet they're taking away!"

Then came the scene where all the kids rescue the adults' butts using their kickass dragon knowledge.

"And that, my good friend just proves that adults ruin everything," I declared. I was about to chug down more milk but then I realized my glass was empty.

"Whatever," I muttered and looked down on the baby in my arms. Bryce was already asleep, his weight resting against me.

I lifted him in my arms and tried not to jostle him but for some reason, I was more uncoordinated than usual. Luckily, I made it to his crib without any accidents on both parties and laid him down to sleep. With a little more swaying I made it on the bed as well and fell into a dreamless slumber.

The next morning, my head was pounding and I felt like I had to throw up. The feeling was strange. I hadn't felt like this for a really long time. Last time I experienced these symptoms was when I drank too much at Jacob's birthday last year.

Lord. I'm hung over on chocolate milk. How lame is that?

After emptying the contents of my stomach, I walked to the kitchen to see Edward burping the baby. The sight was just so adorable I had to smile despite the explosions in my brain.

Edward noticed my presence and smiled back but then he noticed the hand on my head and the dreary façade I had. He beckoned me to come closer and hugged me tightly before dropping a kiss on my head.

He placed Bryce on a high chair nearby and looked at me with an asking expression.

"I'm fine," I told him. "Just have a killer headache,"

He dragged me to the kitchen and offered me some aspirin.

"Thanks," I mumbled as I dry swallowed them. Edward smiled and poured me a glass of chocolate milk.

"Ugh, no thank you," I pushed the glass away. "I think that's what caused this whole thing in the first place. I threw up a while ago,"

Edward looked alarm but I waved him off and had orange juice instead. I was about to clean Bryce's face since there was still some leftover milk on him when I saw Edward suddenly spit something into the sink.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Instead of answering, he stared at the carton of milk for a second before dashing to the bedroom to retrieve his whiteboard. He was already writing as he walked back.

_I think that milk is spiked._

"What?" My eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean spiked. As in, like…there was alcohol in it?"

He nodded and erased his previous answer before writing something again.

_Yes. Where did you get this carton?_

"Um…Jacob's…" I trailed off as my eyes narrowed. Really. Leave it to my brother to spike freaking _milk._

"Can you take care of Bryce for a sec? I have a call to make," I stomped towards the phone and dialed.

"'Lo?" a sleepy voice answered.

"What did you do to that milk?"

"What?"

"Those cartons I took home yesterday. What did you do to it?"

"Um…is that you, Bella?"

"Yes it is freaking me. Now did you put alcohol in that milk or not?"

"Uh…maybe?" I was about to scold him but then he said "Wait, wait! Let me explain!"

I waited.

"I…spiked the milk but you have to understand. Tia was driving me up the wall! And with all the wedding and Renee and shit, I just had to cut loose, y'know? Tia has officially banned alcohol from the house so I had to do _something._Desperate times, desperate measures,"

"And you didn't even think to stop me from taking those out of the fridge?"

"I, ah, it slipped my mind,"

I groaned. "Jacob, I'm taking care of a baby. A three month old baby. You think it was alright for me to be drunk from your stupid alcoholic dairy products while I'm doing that?"

Jacob immediately launched into an apologetic fit and kept repeating that it was Tia's fault. After hearing enough, I told him never to do it again and hung up.

Meh. I hoped my younger brother got his act together before he and Nessie start having children. He was like the epitome of irresponsibility right now.

The epitome of responsibility, however, was in the living room playing with Bryce. Both of them were amused by a farm animal sounds toy that looked just downright cute.

Edward met my eye and gave a big grin, opening his arm in invitation for me to join them.

Despite still feeling a bit hung over, I couldn't help but enjoy the situation where I was only in my mind, it was a bit different. My thoughts went back to the ones I had yesterday where it was our green-eyed baby who was pressing the sheep and we were in a nice house somewhere less hectic with a dog and a wedding ring on my finger.

I felt soft lips press against my temple and an arm pulling me tighter against Edward. I looked up at him and saw the soft smile on his face and the look in his eyes that told me he was imagining the same thing I was.


	25. Chapter 25

"Bella, have you seen my blue hoodie?"

"I'm wearing it. What about my guitar case? The one with all the silver pen vandalisms,"

"I think it's under the couch,"

Two weeks were finally done and Muteward was long gone. With that good news, Rosalie happily told us that the tour was to resume in a few days so we were instructed to get packing immediately.

Being the procrastinators we were, Edward and I put it off until mere hours before we had to leave for the airport which was why we were currently scrambling to find our shit.

After the final phone charger was located and the last bag was zipped close, we made our way to the airport where the rest of the band was already waiting.

"I can't wait to get back," Jasper declared as he pulled his long honey blond hair away from Bryce's prying hands. "It feels like ages since we've played,"

"I kinda liked the vacation," I said as Edward snaked his arm around my shoulders. "Not having to worry about freezing up in the middle of a concert or having to get up early in the morning for some press…"

"True," Jasper relented.

"Emmett, will you please give my laptop back now? I need it," Rosalie sighed exasperatedly as she looked at Emmett.

"Not now, woman. We're leading but a few more votes and it'll be a landslide,"

"Leading where?" I asked, trying to peek.

"Duh. Only the most important online competition on earth, MTV March Madness," he rolled his eyes.

It was March already? Huh. Guess that's what I get for not paying attention to calendars and shit.

"Em, I'm pretty sure that the fans are the ones who are supposed to vote," Rose tried convincing him. "Which means, _you're_not supposed to,"

"But with the fans _and_us voting, we'll take home the trophy fow show!" Rosalie just sighed and made a defeated action before going back to her PDA.

"Who are we up against for the first round anyway?"

"Radiohead," he said. "They have like, ten percent of the votes while we have the rest,"

"So…why are you still voting when we're already ahead?"

"Bella, Bella, Bella," he reached over Edward's lap and patted mine understandingly. "Don't you realize that it's never enough to just win? Landslide victory's the only way to go, baby,"

I raised my hands in surrender. "Okay, okay,"

"What other bands are competing?" Jasper inquired before giving Bryce his pacifier.

"The usual people. Lessee…uh, Evanescence, Paramore, Linkin Park…what the fuck is Ke$ha doing here? Uh…anyway, Green Day, the Harley Quinns…"

"Who do they have for the first round?" Edward's sudden interest surprised me as his arm pulled back abruptly and he leaned over Rosalie's laptop to see.

"Muse," Emmett replied, pointing to the lower left part of the screen. "They were being crushed last time I checked,"

"Who was? Muse or the Harley Quinns?" Edward demanded.

"Muse. Their situation's a lot like ours, actually. The Harley Quinns have a pretty strong fan base, too,"

"Huh," Edward huffed a little angrily in response. His arm was back to its place around me. I turned to him with an asking expression.

"What's up with you?" I asked him.

"Nothing," he muttered in reply, pulling me closer to his side.

My eyes narrowed as I rested my head on his shoulder. If I didn't know any better, he was getting his panties in a bunch because of…

"Wait," I looked at him again. "This isn't about James, is it?"

"What?" he snorted a little too loudly to be convincing. "No. What has he got to do with this?"

"The Harley Quinns? That's his band, remember?"

"I guess it is," he shrugged.

I sighed and just let it go.

Our flight arrived eventually and we flew for hours back to Tel Aviv where we had a show to make up for.

The plane landed at around six in the morning but that didn't mean we were left alone. As per usual, there were some fans and photographers around, just waiting to catch a glimpse of New Moon. We just ignored them, got our luggage and got into our rented van before driving off.

"Where are we going?" I asked. The landscape we were passing wasn't the metropolis where the hotels we were staying in were usually located but it was looking more like a residential area.

"Emmett's grandmother's place," Rosalie answered me from the passenger seat. She was retouching her make-up via the side car mirror. "She insisted that we spend one night at her house,"

"Ah," I replied as she stared at her reflection contemplatively as if trying to decipher a puzzle.

"Bella, can I borrow some of your eyeliner?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You're seriously asking me for make up,"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Right. Alice?"

Alice passed her her entire cosmetics bag instead.

"What's with the sudden primping anyway?" She usually just put on some huge sunglasses and wore her hair on a ponytail when we had to face the public after hours of travelling.

"I want to make a good first impression," she said before scrunching her face and sighing. "Ugh, I look like a freakin' raccoon! Pull over at the next gas station. I can't do my make up like this,"

The driver nodded and soon, we were parked in just that as the sun began to rise in the sky.

"Babe, Gran's gonna love you no matter what you look like," Emmett tried to reassure his girlfriend but she wasn't having any.

"I still can't show up there looking like _this,"_Rosalie gestured to her face and hair which looked just fine to me. "Look at this bird's nest. This won't do," She slipped out of the vehicle with Alice and her bag full of beauty essentials trailing behind her.

"I will never understand that about girls," Emmett sighed, shaking his head.

"Neither will I, bro. Neither will I," I patted his shoulder.

They were in the bathroom for what seemed like hours. To pass the time, Emmett and Jasper decided to take Bryce out of the van for a walk and stretch their legs, effectively looking like a gay couple with their adopted little boy.

I giggled as I watched from behind the tinted windows. "They make a good couple, don't you think? I can see the bromance blooming,"

I laughed so more until I noticed that Edward wasn't reacting. I pulled my eyes away from our band mates to meet Edward's. His were smoldering with intensity. Before I could open my mouth to ask what was up, he swiftly pulled me onto his lap until I was straddling him then devoured my mouth with his.

I moaned and my hands automatically went up to the messy mop of bronze locks on top of his head. His long fingers gripped me tightly around the waist and pulled me closer until I came in contact with the bulge in his crotch.

"You're so beautiful," he breathed when we pulled away. "I've wanted to do that since we were on the plane,"

"Mm, I want to do so much more right now," I nibbled at his ear and rolled my hips once. Edward growled and pulled my shirt to the side so he could bite me. His soft kisses soothed the burn and were turning me on immensely.

I squeaked when one of Edward's suddenly dove into my jeans and panties and began toying with my wet sex. His fingers were quite cold and felt so good against my dripping skin. One slipped between my folds and I moaned at the sensation and began rocking my hips faster.

A jumble of incoherent sounds escaped my throat as Edward's fingers just went in and out while his thumb pressed against my clit.

"Don't stop," I pleaded as I rode his hand. "So good…"

"You like that?" he whispered right to my ear.

"Yes," I breathed.

At my response, he moved his digits faster, matching the rhythm of my hips.

_Yes…that's it…just a little more…_

Just then, a loud tapping at the window burst our bubble. I suddenly remembered that we were in a van and in a very public place. My face turned redder than a tomato.

"Hey, are you guys finished in there?" Jasper's voice resonated from outside. "Bryce really needs his diaper bag and I think Rose and Alice are on their way back,"

"Just a sec," Edward called as I scrambled off his lap and tried to fix my appearance. Once I was satisfied that looked…normal, we unlocked the door. Jasper immediately went for the baby blue diaper bag resting on the floor but Emmett's eyes rested suggestively on us.

"Where'd you find it?" he asked, climbing in and sitting next to Edward.

"Find what?"

"This baby's hydraulics switch,"

"Uh…I don't think this van has one,"

"Really? 'Cause I saw you testing it out earlier,"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"The van was shaking, bro," Emmett informed him. "Back and forth. Over and over again. I guessed that meant you found the missing hydraulic switch but since you said there wasn't one…I suppose you guys were doing something…else, then,"

He let out a loud guffaw at the same time another blush resurfaced as I struggled to deal with the feeling of being all hot and bothered. Luckily, the girls returned before Emmett could say anything more and the discussion was swerved towards Grandma McCarty.

Half an hour of driving later, we reached the gates of a simple two story house with a wide yard and what looks like a swimming pool at the back. What makes it stand out from the rest of the houses that surround it was the fact that it was painted in a hot pink color and had more ornamental flamingos than any lot I've seen.

As soon as we were parked, a tiny old lady came running out of the front door.

"Emmett! Is that you?" she called out in a surprisingly loud voice.

"Gran!" Emmett dashed to the front porch and enveloped the lady in a bone crushing hug. I started getting concerned for the fragile looking lady but when I saw her arms come around Emmett's huge frame and start crushing him back, I figured she was fine.

"You're getting soft, boy," she scolded as she gave Emmett the once over when they pulled away.

"I haven't really had time to visit the gym lately," Emmett admitted as he patted his abs. He still had really bulky muscles, though. If he still had that kind of body without working out, I couldn't even imagine what he looked like if he did on a regular basis.

"I'm sure you've been busy," the lady allowed before looking over to us. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

"Right," Emmett nodded and gestured for us to come closer. "Guys, this is – "

"Gertrudess McCarty," she held her hand out for each of us to shake. "But just call me Gran. I know my name's a mouthful." A very Emmett-ish laugh escaped her mouth.

"Hi, Mrs. McCarty. I'm Rosalie Hale," Rose ignored her earlier request and plastered on her sweetest smile.

"Ah yes. You're the one my boy's been screwing," Gran replied with a casual tone. She gave Rose a quick head-to-toe inspection while Rosalie's cheeks reddened.

"Nice body," she commented before elbowing his grandson. "You did good, boy,"

"Um…we…"

"No need to explain to me, sweetheart. I know Emmett hasn't been abstinent all these years. He hasn't been since he was fourteen. I'm just happy he had the good sense to find a pretty young thing such as yourself. You should've seen the girls he's brought home before," she shuddered before opening the front door. "Come inside. I have breakfast waiting. Drew can get the bags,"

"Drew's still alive?" Emmett asked as we walked into her airy home. While outside was pink, inside was a soft yellow with pristine marble floors. "He was still around when I was like, ten,"

"Of course he is," Gran scoffed. "The man's just seventy two for god's sake. Now sit, sit and help yourselves." She gestured to the feast for a thousand laid out.

We spent the rest of the morning chatting and eating. Gran had a lot of childhood stories of Emmett that even _he_was embarrassed about. To add more to the humiliation, she got out photo albums and pointed to pictures that made me literally made me roll on the floor from laughter.

"Look at that little wiener," she pointed to five year old Emmett. He was standing naked in an inflatable pool while holding his tiny penis and smiling so largely you could see the black spots where his teeth used to be.

"I hope it's grown by now," she added seriously. "I doubt something that small could ever pleasure a woman,"

"Trust me, nothing about Emmett is small," Rosalie declared before realizing what she just said.

Gran laughed. "Of course, _you_would know,"

The rest of the day was really care-free. We explored the rest of the house, spent some time in the pool and had a contest as to who could knock over the most flamingos in five seconds or less.

At around nine o'clock that night, things were winding down and the exhaustion from travelling for more than ten hours became more apparent in all of us.

"You kids aren't going out tonight?" Gran asked as she touched up her make-up in front of the mirror by the foyer.

"Nah, we're actually pretty beat. Besides, we have a kid to take care of," Emmett gestured to a sleeping Bryce resting in Alice's arms. "Are _you_going out?"

It looked like she was. She had on a sparkly dress, heels that I could never walk in even if I tried and her hair was done in some sort of elaborate design.

"Of course! I'm not getting any younger, you know and there's a lot of fresh meat out there just waiting for a hot sugar mama to come pick them up," she grabbed her purse after one final look at herself. "I'm off to the club. Drew's around if you need anything,"

The door front door shut and Emmett groaned. "Dude, that was way too disturbing for words. Imagine your grandma…getting it on with some dude…" he cringed and shivered at the same time.

"Well, in an attempt to get that…really weird picture out of my head, I'm going to bed," Edward stood up and stretched before holding his hand out for me. "Bella?"

"Yeah, I'll go," I placed my hand in his and he gripped it tightly.

We walked together towards the guest room we were sharing on the second floor and started to prepare for bed.

"Do you mind if I move this?" Edward asked, gesturing to the guitar case placed against the wall.

"Not at all," I pulled my shirt over my head and quickly replaced it for the one meant for sleeping. Though Edward had seen me in much less, I was still very self conscious.

"I'll just place it over he – oh shit!"

I turned around quickly to see that the handle had broken off and the case itself was forcibly opened on the floor. Thank god the guitar that was in that thing was currently resting on the wicker chair near the window.

"Sorry," Edward apologized. He was on his knees, picking up the papers that had escaped during the whole thing.

"It's okay," I said. "That thing was old anyway. I'm just glad it didn't give way while my guitar was still in it," I was on my knees and quickly gathering the papers now too.

"What are these, anyway?" Without waiting for my response, he unfolded one sheet and read. "Fan mail. Why do you keep it in your guitar case?"

Why _did_I keep it in my guitar case? The only time I could remember doing that was during that concert months ago…

Oh shit.

These are the ones with all the manips and the drawings and the –

I didn't even give myself time to finish that thought. With cheeks ablazed, I scampered to collect any piece of paper I set my eyes on before Edward could.

_Letter, letter, more letters…where the hell are those pictures?_

"Nice. They sent in drawings,"

_Nein!_

"How come you never showed these to me before? These are really…" his words trailed off as he looked at the illustrations. I bit my lip as I awaited his reaction but all he remained silent.

"Um…" I tried to think of some good reason. "Well…the…subject of that material isn't exactly – "

I was cut off suddenly by Edward's lips on mine. The kiss was dripping with passion and was completely…raw. His tongue entered my mouth and I whimpered as his hands were suddenly everywhere.

"Edward," I panted when his savage kisses drifted to my neck and began biting the skin there, almost like a vampire biting his victim.

"You've been hiding some very naughty things from me, Bella." Lord above. His tone turned all husky and was making me unbelievably turned on. "Why didn't you show them to me? Did you think I wouldn't like them?"

His arms supported my body and quickly tossed me onto the bed before he came down on top of me. He nibbled on my collar bone as his hands toyed with the hem of my shirt.

"Uh…" I was losing coherency fast. "Do _you_…uh…like them?"

"Mm, I love them," he licked the shell of my ear before bringing my hands above my head and pulling my shirt off. "But I'll love them even more when I they become a reality,"

My pants and underwear were suddenly on the floor together with his clothing before I could register what was happening. He pleasured me with his mouth again before he rubbed himself on me

"Edward…"

"Tell me what you want, Bella," he asked again. His breathing was getting shallower and he was gripping the sheets so tightly, his knuckles were white.

"I want you…inside me,"

The actions stopped immediately.

"Bella…are you sure?" I opened my eyes to see Edward looking straight at me.

I nodded, completely serious.

When he still looked a little hesitant, I placed my hands on either side of his face. "Edward, please. I've never been surer of anything in my life. I love you. I want you. Right now,"

He was silent and motionless for what seemed like forever before he planted a sweet kiss on my lips. "Okay…but if anything hurts or if you want me to stop, just say the word, alright?"

I let out a sigh of relief that he wasn't rejecting and eagerly agreed.

"Um…I don't have a condom with me," he confessed.

"It's okay. I'm on the pill," Though that didn't guarantee any protection from diseases, I trusted Edward.

"Okay," he said again. He took a deep breath and very slowly began to push into me.

His breathing became more ragged as more of his length entered me. When I felt him reach the barrier inside me, my breathing hitched and he stopped moving completely.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

This was it. I was going to lose my virginity.

With a gentle push, he broke my hymen and a whimper of pain escaped my throat. I could feel him tense up at the sound and I immediately got to reassuring him.

"No, no, keep going. It doesn't hurt that much," I told him though it was a complete lie. The feeling was comparable to when I had the motorcycle accident as a teenager that almost cost me my leg. But I wasn't going to let Edward know that. If he knew how uncomfortable I was, he'd stop immediately then get all annoyingly emo for hurting me. Then we'd probably never have sex ever again and I wasn't having that.

Edward grunted and began to rhythmically thrust in and out of me. He buried his face in my neck and let out feral sounds against the skin as his hips moved faster and faster.

"I can't… Bella…you're too tight…too much…"

"Too good…I can't…Bella I'm going to…" he growled loudly then collapsed completely. I released the breath I hadn't realized I was holding. We did it. It happened.

I, Isabella Swan, am no longer a virgin.

Wow, this is…monumental. Despite the hurt I had to endure earlier, I was happy about what transpired. Edward and I finally had sex. Given, it was nothing like some of those fanfics I've read described – completely blissful, pleasurable and flawless – it was still perfect for me. We were joined in a truer sense now.

I ran my nails through the hair in the nape of Edward's neck lovingly while I dwelled some more on my thoughts. We were like that for what seemed like a long time before Edward came back to life and supported his weight on his elbows so he could look at me.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," I pulled his head down for another sweet kiss.

"Let's get to sleep. You must be exhausted," he got up and arranged us so that we were under the covers and holding each other tightly. It didn't take five seconds for me to fall asleep.

The next morning, we woke to someone pounding at the door.

"Edward! Bella! Are you even in there? Wake up and get dressed! You have an interview in an hour!" Rosalie yelled from outside.

"Shit," Edward and I shot out of bed as quickly as we could. He went straight to pulling on some boxer briefs and jeans but a strange soreness between my legs stopped me from even making it to my bag.

"You okay?" Edward came closer when he realized that I hadn't moved from my spot by the foot of the bed. "Are you sore?"

"Yeah," I responded. My eyebrows scrunched up and I tried to relax. "But it's okay. Nothing I can't handle. Go ahead and get dressed,"

"I am so sorry," he apologized. "I was too rough, wasn't I? I'm such a – "

"Stop it," I placed my palm against his cheek. "You weren't rough, you were perfect. _It_was perfect. Don't worry about me. I think it's _supposed_to hurt down there the morning after you lose your virginity,"

He chuckled quietly and kissed my temple. "Yeah, I guess it is,"

I didn't have time for a shower anymore so I just threw on the first articles of clothing my hands touched. My Chucks were still untied as I stumbled downstairs to the kitchen where everyone else was already waiting.

"Morning," Emmett greeted without looking up from his laptop screen. I looked over and saw that he was on the MTV website, still voting for New Moon. We were already in the second round and were facing off against Coheed and Cambria.

"Morning," I replied. I sat on the chair next to his and began tying my shoes. I was about to reach over to the muffin basket when Emmett suddenly gasped.

"Oh my god, you totally did it!" he yelled.

"What?" I turned to him quickly.

"You totally had sex last night! Oh my god!" he repeated. "Tell me _everything!"_

"You're right! They so did!" Alice squealed then sat next to me. "Look at her! Sex hair and everything!"

"This is…really awkward," I told them both but they were still looking at me eagerly. I looked over at Edward for some back up but he just looked at panicked as I was. Jasper was next to him and was looking at the two of us with an amused expression.

"Was it good? How was the foreplay?"

"Did you wear the gift Rosie and me gave you?"

"What the…how do you even – "

"Bella, aside from looking like you just got laid, you even _smell_like sex," Emmett grinned cockily. "Besides it's easy to see when you have a good eye like mine,"

I breathed a sigh of relief when Bryce began wailing from his high chair and Gran emerged from the garden, asking Emmett to help her move something before we left.

After quickly packing our bags and loading them back to the van, we said our goodbyes and took off.

Thankfully, the two of them never had the chance to ask me about last night again since we were thrust into interviews and press work for the rest of the day. That, however, didn't stop Edward from touching me inappropriately under tables or quickly leaving kisses whenever no one was looking.

By the time we checked into our hotel, I was ready to jump his bones.

We had sex again that night after more assurances that I wasn't too sore anymore. The experience was just as perfect as our first time, but was far more pleasurable for me. I couldn't even count the number of orgasms Big Eddie pulled from me.

We stopped and finally collapsed onto the bed at around four thirty in the morning but I had a feeling that that wouldn't be the last time we were going to enjoy each other.


	26. Chapter 26

The thing about sex is once you start doing it, you can't seem to stop.

Or at least that was the case for me.

"Edward…faster…"

"If I go any faster, I'll come,"

"So will I…just…please!"

His hands gripped my ass tighter and slammed into me harder, quicker. My back thudded against the wall with each thrust and before long, I was squealing his name with my climax. Edward moaned and pulled me tighter as he had his own release.

He let me down carefully but we didn't let go of each other. We just stood there while trying to calm our breathing and our heart rates until I had the energy to speak.

"That was…intense," I breathed against his shoulder.

"Hell yeah," he chuckled a little. "At least now you can cross out quickie _and_closet sex from the list,"

Knowing my lack of sexual experiences, Edward decided to make a list of every single place and position people could possibly have sex in. It was a pretty hefty register but it was…_fun_ checking things off of it.

So far, we've already done bed sex (I couldn't count anymore), shower sex (twice), couch sex (twice), floor sex(once – the hotel carpet was kinda dusty), door sex (twice), wall sex (three times) and now, closet sex and a quickie.

"C'mon, we have to get dressed," I pulled away from him slightly. "I think the concert starts in ten minutes,"

Yes, we had sex in the janitor's closet in our concert venue. Great way to get rid of nerves, I can guarantee.

While I tried to feel around for my panties, Edward swiftly pulled his boxers and jeans up before helping me look for my own and assisting me in putting it on.

"How do I look?" I asked him once we were in the presence of light again.

"You look sexy," he purred in response right at my ear. His hands moved back to my ass as he continued to speak.

"Edward, we have to go," I shuddered when I felt him squeeze my behind.

"Fine," he huffed. He led the way down the hall back to the green room but his left hand refused to leave my butt. I couldn't really tell if Edward was an ass man or a boob man since one minute he can't keep his hands off my rear like right now and in the next, he'll be trying to subtly cop a feel of my breast or would just stare at my chest in a completely inappropriate manner.

"Ah, the love birds have returned," Jasper looked up from the magazine he was reading. "How was the janitor's closet?"

Edward just scoffed at him and led us to sit on one of the sofas but my blazing cheeks gave us away.

Luckily, Emmett was too concentrated on Rosalie's laptop to see my reaction. Hell, he seemed too preoccupied to probably even hear Jasper talk.

"Is he still on March Madness…madness?" I asked.

"Ugh, yes," Rose rolled her eyes. "I swear to god, no matter how many times I tell him that the fans are the ones who are supposed to vote, he won't listen! I haven't touched my laptop for days!"

"It'll be worth it when we win," Emmett piped up. I shook my head.

"Bella, what happened to your make-up?" Alice was looking at me with narrowed eyes as she entered the room with Bryce on her hip. Before Edward and I had our little…rendezvous, Alice had already done my face and hair. I wasn't sure of how I looked exactly, but I had a pretty good idea of how the just-got-laid look appeared.

"Uh…"

"Get your ass over here and let me fix you. You practically have five minutes before you go on stage!"

I dutifully got up and sat on the chair she indicated and she quickly got to work.

"You shouldn't be allowed to have sex before a concert," she muttered as she carefully lined my eyes with a black pencil. "Or at least do it early enough so I have time to make you look decent before you perform."

"Please. She looks hot," Edward called.

"Shut up, Edward," Alice shot him a look before running a brush through my hair.

"Actually, Edward has a point. Bella looks smokin' with the whole just-fucked thing she's got going on,"

"Not helping, Rose. There. You're perfect again. Don't mess it up," she eyed her work appreciatively and nodded.

We were quickly fit into our ear pieces just as the stage manager knocked and informed us that it was game time.

Our return on the stage felt like going back home. The audience was as pumped as ever and were all really happy that Edward's voice was back to its fully functional state, a fact Edward proved by singing the most energetic I've ever heard him. As some sort of a chain reaction, Jasper, Emmett and I played with renewed vigor as well.

"You guys are the loudest crowd we've played!" Edward yelled to the mob. They all let out shouts and cheers that were all indiscernible due to their number. I picked up my water bottle and replenished my fluid supply as he continued.

"And it's awesome to be back and be able to sing again. All your support really got me through the past rough weeks and I can't thank you enough for that." The audience roared again. "But there's one person who has really been there for me and has taken care of me in more ways than one. So I want to take this opportunity to properly show my gratitude to the lovely Miss Isabella Swan,"

I choked and almost spat my water out. No, seriously. There were a few small splats on the floor and some drops of water were running down my guitar. My eyes widened as I met Edward's soft, love-filled eyes.

He walked over to where I was standing and took me by the hand to the center of the stage where one of the stage hands placed a chair. Another came up to me and took my guitar before handing Edward an acoustic one.

"Bella, you've done more for me than anyone ever has. You were the support that was always there especially when everything seemed to be falling apart. It seems like nothing I could do can really express how much that means to me, but I hope this is enough,"

"Oh my god," I covered my mouth with one hand while the other clutched my heart just as Edward began to strum the opening chords. Really, can the man be any more perfect?

Though he sang through the mic, he wasn't facing the crowd. Instead, he was looking at me like I was the only woman in the world.

I listened to the lyrics intently as I gazed at the love and the tenderness I could see etched clearly in his features. The song was wasn't exactly one for saying thank you, but it was a love ballad, which was even better in my opinion. At the back of my head, I wondered when he had the time to write it.

After he belted out the last lyric and played the last beat, I couldn't help myself anymore. I stood up and threw my arms around his neck. That made everyone go nuts.

"I don't think I've ever said thank you for everything you did," Edward whispered as he buried his face into my neck and hugged me back.

"You never needed to. I was and always will be happy to take care of you in any way I can," I whispered back.

"I love you,"

"I love you, too. So much,"

The concert ended after Edward's surprise display and the four of us went backstage again for a round of interviews.

The questions were mostly about Edward's condition and how it was like to be back but some were directed towards a more…personal realm.

"Miss Swan, did you have any clue that Mr. Cullen was going to serenade you tonight?" a female reporter asked.

"Honestly, no. I was just surprised as everyone," I told her and everyone else listening. "It was a nice surprise, though."

"So does this mean that you two are dating?" she pressed.

"We've been asked that question so many times," Edward answered.

"Yeah, but I never understood why you all bother to," I added. "I mean, it's _so_obvious!"

We continued to answer their queries until Rosalie deemed that we had had enough. We still had more appearances and press shit to do the next day before we travel to Russia. As usual, to make up for the tour delay, we added more places and doubled show dates.

"What you did was really sweet," I said between Edward's kisses. He just hummed and pushed me on the bed before pulling my shirt off and practically ripping my bra apart.

"What I did was nothing," he murmured against my jaw as his hands swiftly unbuttoned my pants. "You deserve so much more,"

His lips left my skin so that he could take off his shirt but was back in a flash. I helped him take off his jeans and underwear and before long, we were both naked and Edward was inside me.

"I want you on top," he panted. Without pulling out of me, he laid on his back with me straddling him. We never had sex in this position before but I had an idea of what I had to do.

Bracing my arms on either side of his head, I used that leverage to raise myself then forcefully slammed myself back onto him. I moaned his name at the contact and repeated my actions, slowly going faster.

At some point, Edward sat up and I was forced to hold on to the mattress by his hips. My eyes were closed but I could feel the hands that tightened around my waist and the mouth that covered my breasts with kisses.

"Don't stop doing that," I panted. "So good…"

My hands repositioned around his neck and the back of his head, making him take more of me in his mouth. Soon, it all became too much and I reached my peak.

"_Oh god…_Edward!" I yelled so loudly, I was sure we were going to have the hotel manager knocking on our door and asking us to keep it down.

I was still coming down from my orgasm when he flipped us so quickly, I couldn't even register what was happening. As soon as my head hit the mattress, he was thrusting into me.

My second orgasm came sooner than the first and this time, Edward came with me. My name escaped his mouth together with a garble of jumbled words before he finally rested his forehead on my shoulder, blowing hot air against my skin in quick bursts.

"God, I love you," he murmured.

"I love you, too," I breathed.

The next day, Rosalie wanted the whole band to do some sharing about the whole Edward situation for the DVD and to post on the website. Peter had managed to film everything up to the time Rose told us to go back home so she figured it would be good to get our perspectives from what happened.

"At first, I honestly didn't know how to react," Edward admitted. "The first thing that came into my mind though, was disappointing everyone,"

"He even wanted to continue the show but it just wasn't possible anymore," I nudged him playfully for his persistence. "Even talking was extremely difficult for him,"

"Yeah so I basically had to suffer in my own silence the entire time," he said. "The whole band – Bella, especially – kept reassuring me that everything was going to be fine but there was still that nagging part of my brain that won't stop reminding me that it might not,"

"You can tell he was feeling guilty about the whole thing," Jasper added. "The tour, the band, absolutely _everything_was dependent on his voice and he knew that. I know if that much pressure was put on me, I'd probably shut down completely,"

"And I almost did." Edward nodded at what Jasper mentioned. "It was just so hard to be optimistic about anything. If I were alone through the whole thing, I would've drowned in my own emptiness. Luckily, I had these guys for all the moral support," he looked towards all of us but gave me a sly wink.

"I was kinda hoping if he just didn't talk for a couple of days, whatever it was would go away," Emmett said. "And then we find out that he has a cyst on his vocal chords,"

"Ah yes, the cyst," I sighed. "Hearing the news that he had to go through surgery pretty much just…shook everything. We weren't just dealing with some throat infection anymore. He had to go through an operation,"

"It was difficult to be brave at those times," Edward slouched in his chair a little. "And so nerve-wracking. We were basically putting our lives on the hands of a doctor,"

"But after the whole thing was over, everyone finally managed a sigh of relief," Emmett smiled. "'Course, there was still the case of Eddie being mute for a whole two weeks, but that just made the world a quieter place which isn't that bad in my opinion," he laughed.

"And he had Bella taking care of him," Jasper smirked at me then at the camera. "And she did a v_ery_good job at doing that,"

I blushed while Edward let out his own chuckle. "Yeah, she got me this whiteboard that had baby ducks on it and basically told me to talk through it,"

"None of us knows sign language so it was the only alternative I could think of," I joked.

The rest of our sharing carried on with Jasper and Emmett admitting that they started thinking of career alternatives. While Jasper said that he'd get his degree in psychology and work as a shrink, Emmett really couldn't come up with anything. I guess he was serious when he said that he didn't know what to do with himself if he wasn't a drummer.

We did about two more interviews with different magazines after that then explored Israel throughout what was left of the day. Emmett was especially excited when we visited Jerusalem.

"Dude, this place is epic," he stated as he looked around. "Jesus was born here, man,"

"No he wasn't. Jesus was born in Bethlehem," I corrected him.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Close enough,"

Other Biblical locations like Galilee and Jericho were visited as well. It was pretty surreal for me to be actually seeing the placed that I used to read about with my grandmother when I was younger.

The tour progressed as we visited country after country which meant more changes in the time and climate conditions. I was surprised I wasn't sick yet. Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines were the hottest places we've visited so far. It didn't help that we went there at their summer month of May either.

"Thank you lord for air conditioning," Alice sighed as she sat down. We just went through the last procedure in Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila and were simply waiting for our flight to Australia to arrive.

"I know, right?" Rosalie gathered her blonde hair in a ponytail. "I'd probably pass out if this place didn't have any,"

"It sucks that we didn't get to go to Boracay, though. I could have an amazing tan by now," Alice shook her head disappointingly. She had wanted to visit the white sandy beaches after seeing an ad of it after we landed. Sadly, our Melbourne concert date was already set in stone and the press work we had to do there was also scheduled so we couldn't go.

"I would love to see Bella get a tan, too," she eyed the pale complexion that was exposed by my tank top. "She's just too…white!"

I snorted a laugh. "Please. I like being pale. And besides, I don't think darkening my skin would contribute much to how I look,"

"Hm. I guess your skin _does_look better against the hair color you have,"

"Really? I always thought that darker haired people would look nicer with a tan,"

Soon, both of them were immersed in a discussion of what kind of hair would look good with skin types. I think they continued to bicker about it even after we boarded our flight.

I was looking out the plane window while Edward secured our bags overhead when I felt a wave of dizziness hit me. I rested against the back rest and waited for the feeling to go away, thinking that it must've been caused by the weather or something.

After a while, I thought I was right. I felt better and was back to bickering with my band mates and throwing Skittles at a sleeping Emmett.

I was about to launch another when I felt woozy again only this time, it was accompanied by nausea. I almost threw up on the spot. Luckily, I managed to hold it in a bit until I got to the bathroom.

As soon as my eyes saw the shining beacon of hope that was the toilet, I lost my breakfast and everything else that I ate between when I woke up and now. I sat on the floor and rested my back against the wall, waiting to see if I had more to upchuck but surprisingly, there wasn't. I felt completely normal.

A knock on the door startled me. "Bella?"

It was Edward. "Um, yeah I'm in here,"

"Are you okay?" his voice was dripping with concern.

"I'm fine," I assured him.

"You had me worried when you just walked away without a word," he admitted.

I shook my head. "It's nothing, really. Probably just…motion sickness,"

I've travelled through planes, cars, trains and ships countless times and not once did I ever suffer from motion sickness. That fact made me wonder if that was really why I felt like throwing up but I couldn't come up with any other reason.

Edward was still waiting for me in the cramped space of the plane hallway when I finally opened the door. His face still looked worrisome but after more affirmations from me that I was alright, he let loose again.

I thought I wasn't going to get sick anymore, but I was proven wrong about six hours later at the Melbourne Airport baggage claim. The nausea came out of nowhere again and before too long, I was bent over yet another ceramic miracle.

"What is going on," I mumbled to myself as I exited the bathroom. I couldn't spot anyone from New Moon around but I did see our things piled in a corner. All the seats that were near that area were occupied so I opted to just lean against the wall.

While I watched other people pass and look for my band mates, I was strangely feeling exhausted. Maybe I could just close my eyes for a couple of seconds…

The next thing I felt was something hard hitting me in the hip bone and cheek bone. They weren't really that painful so I didn't let that interrupt my sleep.

What did, though, were the voices I could hear were yelling my name.

"Bella! Oh my god!"

"Is she conscious?"

"Well, gee, Emmett, she's on the floor and not moving. Of course she's conscious!"

I opened my eyes to see what the ruckus was all about but my vision was vertical, like I was lying down. I tried to sit up and strong arms supported me.

"What happened?" I asked. Everyone was seemingly gathered around me in a circle.

"You fainted," Edward explained as he held me up to rest against his chest. "Did you hit your head?"

"I-I don't think so," I stuttered. I was still amidst grasping the fact that I actually _fainted._That never happened to me before and I always wondered how it felt like to do so. Heh. Now I knew.

"Somebody go get water," he called before turning back to me. "Can you stand?"

"I'm fine," I respond. He helps me to my feet and led me to sit on the now vacant seats. He sat next to me and placed a hand on my forehead.

"Seriously. I'm fine!" I insisted as Rosalie handed me a bottle of water. "I don't feel dizzy at all,"

"Maybe she's hypoglycemic," Alice suggested. She shifted Bryce to her other hip before continuing. "My dad's the same way. That's why we have candies on us at all times. His sugar can get pretty low,"

"When was the last time you ate?" Edward asked.

"Um…on the plane," I said. But then again, I lost that just a couple of minutes ago.

_What was going on with me?_

We went straight to the hotel after the whole ordeal and I was instructed to lie down and rest once Edward and I were in possession of our key.

"You're overreacting," I told him as he tucked the sheets securely around me. "I feel completely normal."

"Bella, you need to rest," he said in response. "You're lucky we didn't call the doctor,"

I sighed and slumped back against the pillows. If I didn't love him, I'd seriously be annoyed.

I mean, I understand that he can be overprotective and he's only that way because he loves me, but the man wanted to cancel the concert. Even Rosalie was against that especially when seeing that I was perfectly alright. Well, save for a few more rounds of girl meets toilet, but I didn't think too much on that.

On the day of the performance, I was a bundle of nerves not because I was pumped with adrenaline to make our last show for the tour as explosive as possible but because I didn't want to throw up in the middle of the stage.

_I wish I could just throw up everything now and not have to worry about later,_I thought as I sat in the green room. As if reading my mind, my stomach lurched and I made a dash to the restroom.

I heaved one last time when I heard someone come in.

"Bella?"

"Um, hi Alice," I mumbled awkwardly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Nothing. It' just…I heard you throwing up," she said. "Was it something you ate?"

"Um, no, I don't think so," I sighed. "This thing…it's been going on for a while,"

"Wait, you've thrown up more than once?"

"Yeah…"

"And you don't know why,"

"Pretty much…"

"Bella, can you come out?"

I opened my stall a little hesitantly and met Alice's concerned look. "Have you had your period yet?" she asked.

"What?" I was confused. What did that have to do with anything?

"Your period. Have you had it for this month?"

"Uh…no, not yet," I said.

"Are you supposed to be through with your period at around this time?"

"I dunno. What day is it today anyway?"

"May twenty-seven,"

"Huh. Really? I usually have my woman time at around the beginning of the month,"

Alice didn't say anything else. Instead she stood there and stared at me for a long time. I was about to open my mouth to ask her what was wrong when she finally spoke again.

"Bella, have you ever considered the possibility that you might be…pregnant?"

_WHAT?_

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. "Pregnant? What – I can't – no, that's not possible," my head was racing as I stumbled over my words. "I'm on the pill for cramps and shit. And, and we use a condom…almost every time,"

"Almost?"

"We, um…we don't have time to get one at some occasions," I said but quickly added "But those only happened like, two times. I can't be – no, I can't,"

"Bella. Bella, breathe," Alice set her tiny arms around my shoulders. "We don't know for sure yet. For all we know you could…just have some weird stomach bug. Stay calm,"

"But – pregnant – Alice – what – "

I was interrupted when Rosalie suddenly poked her head in. "There you are. C'mon, girl, it's time to get your ear piece fitted. Almost show time,"

Shit. The concert. How was I supposed to go through three or more hours of acting normal with this news?

"Uh…you okay?"

"She's fine. Just a little nervous. You know, last show and all," Alice smiled.

Rose laughed. "Wow. Her too, huh? Edward's acting the same way," she shook her head. "I can't get the boy to sit down long enough to have his piece fit in. Maybe if he sees you, he won't be that bad,"

With a little more subtle coaxing from Alice, we made our way back to the green room and did our final preparations. Rosalie wasn't kidding; Edward couldn't sit still long enough and looked more nervous than I've ever seen him.

Eventually, we had to go on stage and finish the _Lunar Eclipses_tour. While I managed to act more myself while I performed, there was still that voice at the back of my head that kept reminding me of what Alice told me earlier.

"This has been an amazing tour and I couldn't think of a better way to end it but right here in Melbourne!" Edward shouted through his microphone somewhere in the middle of the concert and the crowd went nuts as usual.

"So let's make this ending special," he continued. I thought he was going to ask a fan up on stage to rock with us like what he did at our last show in Munich but he didn't reach into the audience like I figured he would.

Instead, one of the stage hands asked for my guitar and I lifted it off my shoulder, thinking that I was supposed to switch to an acoustic one but nothing was handed to me. Instead, I was lead to the center of the stage and was asked to sit down as Edward presented me with a rose.

I almost rolled my eyes and laughed at his sweet gesture instead. Looks like I was up for another round of serenading. I wondered what for this time.

And I was right. Soon enough, Edward was singing to me again while the crowd swooned. Hell, I think I swooned a little bit, too. Okay, maybe swooned a lot.

After he finished, I stood up to give him a hug or maybe even kiss him like last time but he placed a hand on my shoulder, stopping my movement.

"Bella, before you get up, I have to tell you something," he said, still through his mic so everyone can hear. "I'm thankful for this whole adventure around the world because it was through it that I finally managed to have you,

"You are the nicest, most considerate and loving person I have ever met. I've made a lot of mistakes in the past but I think God forgave me because He brought you to me. I swear, I'll never let you go and I want to spend every day of my life proving that to you,"

He dropped the mic on the floor before positioning himself so he was on one knee.

_Holy sweet mother of Jesus!_

The mob realized what he was doing and began cheering and chanting so loudly I could almost didn't hear Edward's next words.

"Isabella Swan, will you do me the extreme honor of becoming my wife?"


	27. Chapter 27

"Isabella Swan, will you do me the extreme honor of becoming my wife?"

_Wife! He was asking me to marry him!_

Without even having to think about it, I let out a loud "YES!" and launched myself into his arms. We would've crashed to the floor hadn't it been for Edward's strength and balance but I wouldn't have cared either way. I was getting married. To Edward Cullen!

"I love you," I whispered at his ear as his arms tightened around me. "Thank you so much,"

"I think it should be me thanking you," he chuckled and pulled away. "I love you, Isabella,"

And with that, he leaned forward and captured my lips in a kiss passionate enough to ignite fires inside me but was PG enough. Our lips were locked for what seemed like forever but the moment was eventually broken when Emmett let out a ridiculously loud wolf whistle.

I was suddenly aware that we were on stage, in a stadium filled with people and numerous cameras recording everything. A blush erupted across my cheeks as Edward guided us both to stand.

"May I?" he asked me teasingly, his left hand lifting mine like it was made of gold and the other holding out the box that encased my engagement ring.

I nodded eagerly and he slid the elegant band through my finger. It wasn't gaudy or overly flashy; on the contrary, it was simple but very beautiful with a web of delicate silver protecting a medium sized sapphire.

There was nothing I wanted to do more at that moment than to jump my…fiancé's bones but unfortunately for me, we still had a concert to finish.

The next two hours we performed turned into two hours of foreplay. By the time we were alone in our hotel room, our clothes were ripped off of our bodies in a matter of seconds.

"You're so beautiful, Mrs. Cullen," he growled before nibbling at my neck.

"A bit too soon to be calling me that, don't you think?" I laughed before moaning when I felt his tongue make contact with my skin.

"Just practicing," he lifted his head and looked down at me with a gentle eyes and a soft yet genuine smile. "I can't wait for you to be my soul mate in the truest sense, to be my light and my angel for as long as I'm alive, to be the mother of my children…"

_Mother of his children…_

I froze immediately at his words and my conversation with Alice earlier during the day suddenly came rushing back to me. Edward must have felt it too as his expression turned worried.

"Bella? Is something wrong?"

"Um…can – "I paused and took a deep breath. "Can we talk?"

His face remained the same but he nodded and got off of me. He also made sure that both of us were covered by the blanket before I continued since the air was pretty chilly.

"What is it?" he asked, tilting my chin up so he could look at me since I had my eyes glued to the sheets. "You can tell me anything, love,"

"Okay," I said quietly. "But you have to promise that you won't freak out after you hear what I have to say,"

"You're making me more nervous, Bella," he admitted. "Is this anything bad?" 

"No, no. Not bad. Not at all…" I trailed off. "It's just…I think I might be pregnant,"

My eyes snapped to the bed again as I braced myself for his answer. I couldn't look at his face as he processed everything.

A lifetime seemed to have passed before he spoke again.

"Bella. Sweetheart, look at me,"

I slowly raised my face again to see the same gentle expression he had earlier.

"You're pregnant?" he asked.

"I'm not sure yet," I murmured. "I…haven't taken a test or anything so…I don't know,"

The next things I felt were Edward's arms pulling me closer to his body and his lips going to the top of my head.

"Bella," he said against my hair. "I love you. Even before that whole mess at my mother's ball, I knew I did. A baby…or even no baby, isn't going to change that,"

I let out a breath of relief and slumped against him. It felt like a burden has been lifted off my shoulders. Edward wasn't going to stop wanting me even if I carried is child. Hell, that's what he wanted. But I was worried if he thought it would be to soon…if I really am pregnant, that is.

Edward made love to me so many times that night. It was different from the other times we had sex –just purely animalistic and out of need. This time, we took our time exploring each other and putting the other's satisfaction before ours.

"What do you want to name the baby if she's a girl?" Edward asked me hours later after we were both sated. We were lying in bed with his hand rubbing circles around my stomach.

"Edward, we're not even sure if I really _am _pregnant," I said, putting my hand on top of his.

"Then for when we have a baby girl," he shrugged. "Because for sure, I'm going to knock you up if I haven't done it yet,"

I chuckled at his stubbornness and decided to humor him.

"Hm…well, it most definitely won't be a combination of her grandmothers' names," I snorted. "Something like…Renesmee not only sounds weird but is totally paying tribute to the wrong people,"

Edward laughed. "I have to agree with that,"

"But kidding aside, I always kinda liked the name Sophie or Sophia," I shrugged. "Or maybe Alexandra."

"Ah, so you're not going the celebrity route," he remarked before kissing my neck.

"Celebrity route?"

"You know. Like how they name their kids…unconventional names like Apple, Seven, Coco, Blue…"

I rolled my eyes. "Please. What did the kid ever do to us for him to deserve to be called such? The poor thing's going to be bullied in school if we did that,"

Edward laughed again and continued to rub my stomach.

"What about you? What did you want to name her?"

"I like the name Gabrielle," he said. "Or maybe Erika. And that's with a K, not a C," he quickly added. "If he's a boy, then we just adjust the spelling. Gabriel without the extra L and E and then Erik,"

"Erik," I repeated. "That reminds me of that guy from that movie,"

"Which one?"

"The weird one where the main character named Eric shaved his head and shot his hand. _Cosmopolitan_, I think,"

"You mean _Cosmopolis_,"

I all but waved him off. "Close enough."

We discussed more on baby names until I finally fell asleep, exhausted from the physical and emotional stress of the day.

The next morning, I was awakened by – you guessed it – morning sickness. Okay, maybe that isn't the right term since it wasn't confirmed yet but whatever. I guess I woke Edward up with my dry heaving since one moment, I'm throwing up over the toilet alone and in the next I feel gentle hands hold my hair back.

"Do you need anything? Water?" he asked as he rubbed my arm once I was done. I shook my head as I wiped my mouth.

"No, I'm okay. I just need to brush my teeth," I told him and he helped me stand to do so. Edward left me alone while I cleaned myself up but once I was out of the bathroom, he was by my side again.

"Are you hungry?" he murmured. "I ordered room service,"

I nodded. "Okay. I can do with something to eat. Thanks,"

"Does…does that happen very often?" he wondered aloud as he led me to sit on the bed.

"The whole puking thing? Yeah, it's been going on for a while now," I ran a hand through my tousled hair. "It was actually how I figured I was pregnant yesterday. Alice heard me upchucking in the bathroom back at the stadium and started asking me all these questions. Then she asked me if I ever considered that I was with child,"

Edward's eyes widened. "You were throwing up before the concert?" 

"Yeah. I was so nervous before the show but not for the normal reasons. I was afraid I was going to throw up in the middle of the stage!"

He chuckled and pulled me closer to him. "It's a good thing you didn't. Otherwise, proposing to you would be very weird." He lifted my hand and kissed the delicate ring on my finger.

The moment was broken by a knock on the door followed by a loud 'room service!' With one last kiss on my forehead, Edward stood up but stopped halfway to the door.

"You might want to put on some clothes," he eyed me up and down and licked his lips. "I don't want the hotel staff seeing my fiancée naked as gorgeous as she is,"

I looked down on my body and noticed that I was still buck naked from our activities last night. Edward, however, was already dressed in a shirt and some sweats.

After quickly throwing on a random shirt of Edward's and some shorts, he finally answered the door and let the bellhop push in a cart filled with covered plates.

I didn't even wait for him to leave; the smell of food was making me increasingly hungry and I took off the silver dome covering a random dish and began to dig in.

Edward joined me a minute later and I felt a sense of déjà vu. The situation was a lot like the morning of my birthday when we pigged out on the breakfast that was courtesy of my brother except the circumstances were a lot different. Now, the tour was finished, I was engaged to the love of my life and was probably carrying his baby.

I put my spoon down to gaze at the bracelet. He had gone through so much effort to ship it to Brazil and that made me feel all the more thankful for it. It also reminded me of something…

"How did you do it?" I asked him.

"How did I do what?"

"Get the ring. I mean, I've seen you being all secretive about my bracelet a couple of months ago but these last couple of weeks…"

He smiled. "I suppose I never told you, but the ring and the bracelet are actually a matching set. When the latter arrived, the former came with it,"

I quickly looked at my right wrist then the middle finger of my left hand before putting them near each other. They _did _look like they went together.

"So you've already been thinking of proposing to me back then?" I teased.

Edward barked a laugh. "I wasn't _that _presumptuous. I washoping to ask you out, though then hopefully one day finally get to ask you for your hand in marriage,"

I smiled and lean over to kiss him. "Sometimes you're so sweet I fear I'm going to get diabetes,"

"Well, we can't have that, now can we? Come here," he pulled me onto his lap and attacked my lips with his own.

The media frenzy surrounding my recent engagement was beyond crazy. The minute we stepped out of the hotel, photographers were already snapping pictures and asking a million questions at a time. We barely made it to the van alive.

"Lord. I almost lost a limb out there," Emmett complained before turning in his seat to glare at Edward. "You just _had _to propose to her in public, huh?" 

"Shut up, Emmett," Rosalie smacked him for the nth time at the back of the head. "I personally found the gesture to be very romantic. Bella is lucky to have a loving, sensitive fiancé like Edward who's unlike _some _people,"

Emmett grumbled something intelligible and Alice quickly cut in before things could get awkward.

"So did you guys set a wedding date yet?" she asked excitedly.

"Not yet," I said. "We haven't talked about it much, actually…" _because we were too busy talking about the maybe-here-baby, _I finished in my head.

My hand went to my stomach and the movement didn't escape Alice's or Edward's notice. They didn't say anything about it though, and I assumed that Alice didn't tell anyone yet.

"Well, date or no date, questions about the engagement and the future wedding are d_efinitely _going to come out in your interviews today," Rose was back on her PDA. "Did you tell your parents yet?"

"No," I groaned at the reminder. "Charlie is going to _flip. _Hell, forget Charlie. Telling him is going to be absolute cake compared to telling Renee,"

"Um, about that Bella," Edward spoke up. "I…already told him,"

If I was drinking anything at that moment, I would've spat it out. "You _what?"_

"I've told Charlie," he shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "Well, not really. I did call him to ask for his blessing, though so technically he doesn't know your answer yet...well, from you anyway. I'm sure the proposal's already scattered throughout the Internet but he does know that I was planning to ask you,"

"He does?" My eyebrows shot up. 

"I'm nothing if not traditional," he smiled and leaned down to kiss me on the cheek.

We eventually arrived at a studio where our first interview was going to be together with a photo shoot. I guess we were a little late because we were bustled off to hair, make-up and wardrobe before we could even take in our surroundings.

"Oh the ring is so gorgeous!" Maddie, my hair stylist, cooed as she eyed the halo I wore around my finger. The other stylists were also ooh-ing and ah-ing at it as they tried to do their job at the same time.

"Thanks," I blushed a little.

"You two are going to make such beautiful looking babies," she sighed as she ran a brush through my hair. "They're going to be such heart-breakers when they grow up."

And I had to agree, especially with Edward as their father. He was looking as charming as ever in his light colored trousers and a white button-up that wasn't quite done all the way. The whole theme of the shoot was light and airy which was why I was wearing a white dress and some ballet flats with my hair down.

We covered the group shots first before moving on to the individual ones. We were photographed by two's as well which was the most fun for me since I got to get close to Edward. My ring –as expected – was mostly the star of the show.

Interviews came next and true to Rosalie's word, most of the questions were about the engagement.

"Yesterday must've been such a huge night for you," Sarah, our interviewer, remarked. "First was the end of the tour and now…" she gestured to my hand.

"We're getting hitched," I continued for her with a laugh.

"Your wedding is definitely going to be the wedding of the year, that's for sure. In fact, it's the topic that everybody can't seem to stop talking about. Being as famous as you are, that's pretty much expected so with that kind of mentality in mind was it difficult to propose in the middle of a very public event?"

"Yes," Edward answered immediately. "I mean, I knew that what I wanted to do was much riskier than popping the question at say…a restaurant or back at my apartment but I still went with it anyway. I kept telling myself 'you're crazy! What if she says no?'"

"I obviously didn't," I said, taking his hand and he chuckled.

"Yes, I can see that now."

"What about you, Bella? What were you thinking the moment he got down on one knee?"

"Well at first I thought I was imagining things," I admitted. "I was still a little caught up in his serenading then suddenly, he's on the floor, asking me to marry him. It took me a long second to register what was really going on but once I finally did…"

"You almost knocked him down to the floor,"

"I almost knocked him down to the floor," I nodded with a laugh.

"What about the rest of New Moon? Did you guys see it coming?"

"In a way, I sorta did," Jasper said. "Edward might have looked all calm and collected when he finally proposed but before the concert, he looked more nervous than a turkey on Thanksgiving. He couldn't keep still and kept checking his pocket to make sure that _something's _in there," he laughed.

"Yeah, Eddie did seem so out of it," Emmett agreed. "It was just a matter of time. You can tell that both of them are genuinely in love with each other,"

The questioned evolved from the proposal to talk of marriage plans and babies. Edward and I exchanged a look once that subject came up.

"Of course we want children," I said. "As to how many…well, we'll just have to wait and see,"

"What about when you want to have children," Sarah pushed. "Any ideas about that?"

"Knowing them, they'll probably have one right after the honeymoon," Emmett guffawed while I blushed.

Luckily, that was the last we said about the topic and we moved on to talk about the tour.

By the time we were finished, it was lunch time and I was starving. Pizza and hot wings sounded too good to pass off so we all agreed that we were eating the mid-day meal at Shakey's.

I was amidst pulling my hair up in a ponytail before we left when my iPhone vibrating in my pocket made me jump.

"Hello?" 

"OMG! YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!"

"I'm sorry, who is this?"

"What do you mean 'who is this'? It's Jacob!"

"Jacob? As in my six foot-three brother?"

"No duh! Do you know any other?" 

"Sorry. I thought you were a pre-pubescent girl who got a hold of my number,"

"Very funny. Seriously, though. You're getting married!" 

I laughed. "Yeah I kinda thought so too after I said yes to Edward's proposal,"

"And? You weren't planning to call your brother to tell him all about it?"

"I'm talking to you right now,"

"That's beside the point,"

I rolled my eyes. "I was going to call you but I've been…busy,"

"Edward keeping you busy, huh," he snickered. "Anyway, how did it go? Do you have anything planned yet?" Jacob was starting to remind of Alice when she was too excited and his questions were reminiscent of Sarah's. I almost told him to just go ask her what our answers to his questions were.

The conversation carried on until we reached the restaurant and I cut it short since I was absolutely famished despite the heavy breakfast I had. The food was finally served and I was beyond ready to dig in but then the damn vibrating interrupted me again.

"For the love of – what now, Jacob?" I practically growled into the phone.

"No, not Jacob but close enough," the voice at the other side laughed.

"Oh. Uh, sorry. Hi Dad," I mumbled, excusing myself from the group.

"I just saw the whole thing," he informed me. "I can't believe that boy really went through with his plan. He's got balls, that one."

"Oh, right, right, you talked to Edward," I was beginning to wonder how he knew of Edward's plans then suddenly remembered.

"Yeah. He actually asked for my blessing," he practically snorted. "He's a little old-fashioned but I like him. He's a good kid, Bella. Good for you,"

"He is," I agreed, smiling.

"When are you coming home? You know you have to pay your old man a visit,"

"We're flying out tomorrow," I said. "I'll be sure we drive to Forks soon,"

"Okay. That's good," awkward silence ensued. "So, um, did you tell your mother yet?"

I took a deep breath. "No. I've actually been sorta putting it off," I admitted. "I mean, she goes crazy after reading news about me that are absolutely not true. How much more if I tell her something that is?"

"Yeah, well, you got your work cut out for you," Charlie replied.

"How're things back there, by the way?" I quickly swerved the conversation a different way.

"Oh, you know. The usual. Sue's ecstatic. In fact, she's dying to talk to you and I know you're not ready for that kind of chat yet so I called while she's off in the grocery store. Seth's been using your publicity for his own good – building up his popularity by bragging that he's related to you and Leah…well, let's just say she's still in denial,"

I talked with Charlie a bit more until my stomach couldn't take it anymore. I quickly said goodbye and rushed back into the restaurant where everyone mercifully still left me some grub.

The next day, we prepared for our ride back to the States. Our flight left at around nine PM which meant our morning and afternoon were still interviews and TV appearances. After the last press thing was finished, we returned to the hotel and packed our things.

"How's Charlie?" Edward asked as he zipped one of his bags shut.

I shrugged, folding a shirt and placing it on top of the others. "He's good. Completely calm about the whole marriage thing which is pretty unusual for the bride's father, so thanks for calling him before and getting him used to the idea. Lord knows I don't need one more parent freaking out on me,"

"I take it you haven't told your mother yet," he chuckled lightly.

"No. I'm not quite ready to be chewed out," I rolled my eyes. "What about you? Your folks know about this before the concert?"

"Yes," he answered nonchalantly and I whipped my face towards him, totally surprised.

"Really? As in, both parents?"

"Yeah,"

"And…Esme's okay with it?"

He snorted. "I said they know about it. I didn't say they're happy about it. Well, Carlisle is. He agrees that you're exactly what I need. But my mother…well, there's nothing she can do about it now. I don't know why she even bothered trying. She knows I no longer care what she thinks."

"Good for you. At least you got it over with already," I huffed and tried to close my luggage but it was too full. Narrowing my eyes a little, I got on the bed and started pounding it so I could pull the zipper.

"Let me," Edward was by my side in a flash and was helping me down onto the floor. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to be jumping on a bag while you're in your condition," he looked pointedly at my flat stomach.

Though we haven't had any confirmation yet, Edward kept acting as if I really was pregnant. He's been handling me like a doll made of glass that could break at a single snap. Most of the time, I felt loved and appreciated his sweet gestures but sometimes it was just too much.

I raised my hands in surrender and turned to begin packing my other bags. I came across the mail that had gotten me laid and laughed quietly to myself before folding and placing them on top of my jeans. That reminded me of the _1000 Oceans _book. I haven't read it in a long while and I wondered where the hell I placed it.

My question was answered when Edward said "Bella, is this yours?"

He held up the paperback with a curious look in his face and I blushed immediately.

"I…found it stuck in the hinges. It was what was causing your bag not to close," he explained.

"Yeah, yeah of course it's mine," I worded quickly as I came closer and took it from him. "I mean, it was in my luggage,"

He actually looked sheepish as he scratched the back of his neck. "I figured but…it's just…really? You read that?"

"I used to," I said honestly. "But we've been so busy lately so I never really had the chance,"

"How did you get this?" he asked. He took the book back and looked at the cover. "And is that _us?"_

"A fan. She gave that to me back in Brazil. Uh, yeah that's…you and me," I was beginning to feel awkward and embarrassed.

Edward looked amused. "So what's the story about?"

"Uh…well you and I are best friends," I recounted. "You're an aspiring actor who finally made it big but once you did, I was pretty much forgotten."

He looked at me for a second before staring at the book. "Is this some angst-filled teenage drama?"

I laughed. "I guess. Sorta. Well, it's not exactly teenaged. We're both adults in that,"

"Huh," he blinked and looked at the synopsis at the back. I left him to it and resumed my packing. I was busy trying to make my last pair of Converse fit when he spoke so softly, I almost didn't hear him.

"You know I'll never do this to you, right?"

"Hm?"

"_This_," he waved the opened volume. "No matter what happens, I'll never leave you for another or – or ignore you like this,"

I walked over to where he was sitting on the bed and straddled his lap before kissing him on the lips. "You know that's just a story, right?"

"I know. I just wanted to assure you that whatever happened here, it won't happen in real life," he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tight. "This Edward, he's a douche."

I smiled. "Yeah, I know. Now come on. We still have a ton of shit to pack," 

We took off from Melbourne Airport about half an hour later and arrived in LAX at around noon the next day. Edward was worried about me as ever throughout the duration of the sixteen hour flight probably because I threw up more than twice and wasn't feeling well the whole time.

"Can you drop me off at my house first, please?" I asked no one in particular as the driver Rosalie hired for us last minute up rode through LA. "I really don't feel so good,"

"No. We're going to my place first," Edward contradicted and I groaned.

"Edward, please. My stomach isn't agreeing with me and – "

"You're not staying at your house. You're staying in mine. I need to take care of my fiancée," his look softened as his hand stroked my cheek. Well, that effectively ended all arguments from me.

I felt so weak once we finally made it to the building that Edward had to literally carry me up to his apartment.

The next day reminded me a lot of the time we returned to the US because of Edward's throat except this time, we weren't going to assess what was up with his larynx but to see if I was carrying Edward Junior.

Of course, we had to make sure that everything was kept hush-hush. The last thing we needed was for the news to blow up much like last time, except now there's a possibility that it's true.

Edward held my hand tightly while I sat on the examination table in nothing but a paper robe and my socks. We were waiting for the results to return and to say that the suspense was driving me insane was an understatement.

A million and one years later, the doctor finally emerged with a clip board in her hand. Before we could even ask if it was good news or bad news – whatever the good news or bad news even was – she gave us a broad smile.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. You're expecting,"


	28. Chapter 28

I absently rubbed my stomach as we drove back to Edward's place. I was _pregnant._It was officially…official. I was carrying a baby and going to deliver him or her in a matter of months. I'm going to be a mother!

Heh. I remember thinking how wonderful it would be to have a little boy or girl with Edward but jeez, I didn't mean to have one _this_quickly. Guess the saying 'be careful what you wish for' really is true.

I mean, I'm not even married! Well, not married _yet._But still.

And what was going to happen to the kid when we go back on tour sometime in the future or have to travel somewhere to do press for a new album? Jasper manages to do it because he has Alice and she's more than willing to stay at home with Bryce if needed be. But in our case, both Edward and I were working.

"Bella?" his soft voice snapped me out of my worrying.

"Hm?" I looked back at him and saw concern written all over his face.

"Are you…okay? You look so scared," he reached one hand out to smooth my crinkled forehead.

"I'm fine," I told him. "Just…thinking. You know, about the future and stuff,"

Edward looked at me contemplatively for a while before dropping his hand to mine. His eyes reverted back to the road and remained silent throughout the ride back.

We were both quiet as we sat on the sofa a few minutes later too. I was staring out the window at nothing while my brain ran amuck. I figured that I'd worry about balancing work and family after I've finally wrapped my head around this latest revelation. I mean, I've still got some time to prepare. The doctor said I was eight weeks along and would probably give birth around December or January of next year which means months of reading baby books, buying baby stuff…that sort of thing.

What I did allow myself to stress about was what I was supposed to do very soon: telling the others.

I'm not worried about the band. Alice and Rose would be ecstatic, demanding to plan my baby shower, buying the little guy more clothes than he or she can wear before they get too big and Jasper and Emmett would just make crude comments about how we were too excited or how it's expected since we've been screwing like bunnies.

I don't care about what the public really thinks. I mean sure, fans' opinions matter but what the hell can I do? It's not like I can get rid of my baby – well I can but I most certainly don't want to. Anyway, real fans would concentrate on the music, not our personal lives.

It's the parental units that I'm really getting my panties in a bunch over. Charlie…I honestly have no idea how he would react. He likes Edward at least, and it's not like he can force him to marry me. For some reason, he wants to do that out of his own free will. But no matter what, I know my dad would support me.

Renee…meh. Don't even want to think about it really. The way she reacted to the fake pregnancy rumors was clue enough that she does _not_want whatever life Edward and I create. Heck, I don't even think she wants the life she and Charlie created twenty five years ago.

Whatever, I tell myself. The only purpose of me telling her is due to the freedom of information act and because she just so happens to be my mother, nothing more. I won't force her to be in my child's life if she doesn't want to. I think it may even be better that way.

Thinking of my own parents got me wondering about Edward's. I had a feeling Carlisle's going to be like Charlie – shocked at first but supportive at the end. That is, of course, if he doesn't let Esme take the wheel like how I feel he usually does.

Oh gahd, Esme. Renee numero dos. What was I supposed to do with _her?_She probably already hates me more than before because I somehow have tricked his son into marrying me but now I've tied myself to him even more because I'm having his baby.

Great. So my kid's going to most possibly not have any grandmothers.

I don't know how long I've been seated there, looking at nothing while I mentally talked to myself but suddenly, Edward was kneeling in front of me.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

My eyes snapped to his and I shook my head slowly.

"Nothing. Just thinking of the same stuff as a couple of minutes ago. The baby, what'll happen next…"

"You don't…" he took a deep breath. "You don't regret…anything, do you?"

My hands found his pretty quickly. "Of course not! I've always wanted children," _children with you, specifically._"I'm just getting overwhelmed with everything that's going on and what the future would be like, most especially after telling our moms,"

"That sounds stressful," he reversed the hold of our hands so he could stroke my skin with his thumbs. "Talk to me. Let me help you. I don't want you carrying all those problems by yourself,"

And so I told him about what's been bothering me. While everything just came spilling out, Edward just listened, never interrupting. After I was finished, he wordlessly got up from the floor and sat beside me.

"You're not alone, okay?" he whispered against my temple. "Everything…telling your parents, telling mine, raising the baby…we're going to do it together. I don't want you to feel like you have to shoulder everything yourself. You have me,"

I relaxed against him and finally felt somewhat more relaxed. It was amazing how he could erase my fears with just a few words.

We discussed a little more about when we break the news and decided that it would be easier to divide and conquer. I really didn't want to be deafened by shrieks of happiness or yells of complete anger all at the same time so we'd just tackle everyone separately.

All the thinking had made me hungry so I asked Edward if he could go order a huge Big Mac with a side of large fries and a sundae. Fast food sounded so good at the moment I was practically drooling.

"Oh god," I moaned after taking my first huge bite. "This is just too good,"

Edward laughed and reached over to wipe some sauce that was left on my face. "I have a feeling you're going to be sending me out on a lot of fast food runs in the future,"

"I think your feeling's correct,"

Conversation was light as I devoured my own order and a part of Edward's but it quickly reverted back to more serious matters.

"Do you want the wedding to be before or after you have the baby?" Edward asked before taking a sip of his Coke.

"Um, I haven't really thought about that," I admitted. "But, I guess I want to get married first. I know a lot of women don't like doing that since they don't want to look like they have beach balls stuck under their dresses, but, you know…" I shrugged.

"If you want, we can get married while your stomach's still flat," he suggested. "I'm afraid that won't give us much time to prepare for a big wedding, though,"

"I don't want a huge extravaganza, Edward," I said honestly. "Truthfully, all I want is a simple, private ceremony with probably only like, fifteen people in attendance or something. I don't need a huge fanfare to show everyone how much I love you."

A smile played on his lips before he kissed my knuckles. "Whatever my lovely bride wants, my lovely bride gets. I don't think we can limit our guests to only fifteen people, however."

"Yeah I figured," I chuckled.

"So what do you say? Do you want a short engagement?"

"If it's okay with you,"

"More than okay," he leaned towards me and captured my lips in a passionate kiss. What was left of my burger dropped to my lap and made a bit of a mess of the sofa but I couldn't bring myself to care. It seemed that Edward couldn't either as he brought himself closer and settled himself between my legs.

"I can't wait to marry you," he whispered against my lips, his hand going to my stomach. "And I can't wait to meet our little guy,"

We settled on getting married on the last week of June – June twenty eight to be specific – which was about three weeks from today. It didn't give us much time to plan but I'm sure it's sufficient for a small ceremony.

Unfortunately, that wasn't what Alice thought.

"Three weeks? Bella, are you insane?" she practically yelled into the phone. I rolled my eyes and held it away from me so I wouldn't have to suffer any unnecessary deafness.

"What the hell are you losing your cool for? You and Jasper got married one month after he proposed. That's four weeks. What's one less week?" Before she and Jasper met, Alice was in beauty school studying to be a hair dresser slash make-up artist.

However, she already had interior decorating and wedding planning under her belt beforehand which is why I knew she'd want to plan my upcoming nuptials. Well, that and she practically demanded that we let her take the reins after Edward publicly proposed.

I heard her sigh. "Yes, but I already had my perfect wedding arranged in my head since I was six. It was just a matter of making appointments and solidifying plans after Jazz got down on one knee. As for you, I'm sure you didn't even know what romance was at six years old,"

"True," I allowed. "But come on, Alice. Can't you do it?"

She snorted. "Are you kidding me? Of course I can. I just don't appreciate being rushed. Perfection takes time you know!"

"We just want a simple wedding," I said. "Nothing big or flashy or public. And the guest list is very…exclusive so…yeah, that should make everything easier,"

"I guess it does," she agreed. "But jeez, three weeks? Can I at least ask why?"

I scratched the back of my head and let out a noisy breath. "Edward and I figured that…it'd be better for the baby if his or her parents were married once he or she comes into the world,"

And with that, the shrieks began.

"I am so happy for you!" she cried. "I knew it! I just knew it! This is so exciting! You're gonna be a mom!"

I smiled and my hand automatically went to my still flat tummy. "Yeah, I am,"

We chatted for about the baby for a bit before moving on to the wedding. Alice wasn't grumbling much about the early date anymore and promised to get started on the planning right away.

One person down, eight more to go.

I looked up at the clock as I dropped the phone on the pillow beside me. It was just three in the afternoon which meant Edward wasn't going to be home yet any time soon. He left about fifteen minutes ago to pick up some more groceries.

Rosalie was next on my list of people to inform and thankfully, she wasn't as loud as Alice. In fact, she seemed a little too subdued.

"Are you sick?" I asked her.

"No, no, I'm good," she assured me. "Just feeling…a little bitter, that's all,"

"Bitter," I repeated. "Because?"

"Don't take this the wrong way Bella, 'cause I really am excited for you. It's just…I don't think it's fair,"

"Uh, can you elaborate?"

An exasperated sigh came from the other line. "Things just happened so quickly for you. You and Edward started dating in the middle of the tour then by the end of it, he's down on one knee and asking you to marry him. Now you're having his baby,"

I could feel my face scrunching up a bit as I tried to understand what exactly she was trying to tell me.

"Rose, I don't – "

"Emmett hasn't even considered asking me and we've been together longer than you and Edward had!" she burst out suddenly. "And – and now you're pregnant and I'm not,"

I opened my mouth to say something but I wasn't quite sure what.

"I didn't know you and Em were trying for a baby," I finally said.

"We weren't. Not exactly. But I've wanted to be a mother since I could remember,"

I guess I understood a little. Everything was handed to me all at once in a pretty little package; a husband, a baby, a family – for short, all that Rose wanted. I could see where she was coming from and I wondered why Emmett hadn't gotten to popping the question yet. Then again, knowing Emmett, maybe he needed to grow up a little more before taking a deeper commitment.

Thankfully, the rest of the conversation was drama-free. Rose asked if she could break the news to Emmett and I gladly gave her my full consent. Maybe Alice told Jasper too, which meant the entire band would already be already be aware.

I was feeling tired after the whole debacle and figured an afternoon nap was good. I didn't even bother to go to the bedroom and settled for the couch instead. I was out like a light in a matter of seconds and I stayed like that for what seemed like a long time.

What finally pulled me out of my stupor was the smell of something burning. Still, I was a little slow in my actions of getting up and walking to the source of the fire.

"Edward, are you cooking?" I yawned and scratched my eyes in an attempt to get rid of the bleariness. All I could register was a figure in blue standing in front of a cloud of smoke.

"Uh, I don't think cooking is an appropriate term for this," he smiled sheepishly while he picked up the pot and dumped it on the sink. "Maybe we can just order out,"

"Or I can cook," I started moving forward but his strong hands met my shoulders and prevented me from going any further.

"It's okay. You don't have to. I know you're still pretty tired,"

"Edward, it's fine," I assured him. "Anyway, I think it's healthier to have some homemade food,"

He smiled and leaned down to kiss my lips then my forehead before finally allowing me to make us a proper meal.

"So how'd your day go?" I asked while I gathered ingredients. Edward was leaning against the counter and watching me move.

"Eh," he shrugged. "It was alright. Got hounded by some paps on my way home but other than that, nothing interesting happened,"

"You didn't get hurt or anything did you?" I looked at him and tried to find any injuries with my eyes. So far, I couldn't see any.

"Nah, they didn't touch me. Oh and, uh, by the way, I talked to Carlisle,"

I stopped trying to open a can of tomatoes with Edward's weird-ass can opener and stared at him. "You did?"

"Yeah,"

"About the…about the baby?"

He nodded.

"What made you call him? Today, I mean. While you were out,"

"I didn't. He called me,"

"Oh," I blinked. "So…how did that go?"

Edward sighed and rubbed his face with his hand.

"Not good," I concluded before taking out my frustration on the can. So Carlisle really is letting Esme lead things again. Great. Just great.

Meh. I don't get it. I'm not _that_horrible and I'm successful on my own and not interested in their money. So what was so abhorrent about me carrying their grandchild?

"No, actually, it went…well,"

"Then what's the whole tired façade you got going on?" I gestured at him with the can opener.

"Carlisle…well, he already figured that that was why I was asking you to marry me in the first place," he explained. "So he wasn't surprised when I confirmed what he's been suspecting though the timing's a bit off. He's just worried about how Esme would react,"

I groaned. "Yeah, well, that makes two of us,"

"Apparently she still can't come to grips that you're going to be her future daughter-in-law. News of the baby isn't going to make things easier,"

"So she doesn't know yet, then,"

"No,"

"And Carlisle isn't going to be sharing the news?"

"I don't think he wants to,"

"Fucking fantastic,"

Edward moved behind me and wrapped his arms around my body, his hands drifting towards my stomach as he pressed his lips to the side of my neck.

"I'm really sorry, Bella," he murmured. "I'm sorry about how my mother's been towards you when all you've done is love me and give me everything I could ever ask for."

I sighed. "It's not your fault. But when we tell her and she goes up in my face again, I'm not holding back anymore. That woman's going to get a piece of my mind."

He chuckled against my skin. "You have my full permission, baby,"

And I better. It's one thing to mess with the mother but a completely different thing to mess with her child, even if he or she still isn't born.

"What did Carlisle call for in the first place, by the way?" I wondered aloud after a few seconds of standing there.

Edward's arms tightened around me before he responded. "Just to ask when he and Esme should fly out. You know, for the wedding,"

"They couldn't wait for the invitations, huh," I smiled a little.

"Actually, they thought we weren't sending them any at all,"

"Oh," I stopped my actions again. "Why would they think that?"

"My dad feels really guilty," he admitted. "He's apologized before but he knows that doesn't really cover the actions of my mom. He thought you wouldn't want them at the ceremony,"

"Well…" I paused to think about what to say next. "As much as they're not my favorite people in the world, you're still their son. It's only fair that they see you get married. Even if it's to a girl they don't approve of,"

"I'm proud of you, baby," he kissed my neck again. "You're being the bigger person,"

Yeah, well, let's just see how long my streak as the bigger person can last.

The next day, Emmett and Jasper called to congratulate us on the baby news. While Emmett was more pumped about having another mini rock star running around, Jasper was already scaring Edward with all the sleepless nights, never-ending crying, and diaper changes. Edward didn't seem too flapped though and simply told him that he couldn't wait to do those and more.

Alice also informed me that she already has the initial plans going. The wedding was going to be elegant, traditional, and very low key which was exactly how we wanted it.

"I found a small chapel in Forks that is just perfect for the job," she told me enthusiastically. "It's totally under the radar and looks so rustic and romantic. We'll have to visit so you can see for yourself,"

"Um, sure. I guess we can pay Charlie a visit while we're there," I nodded though she clearly couldn't see.

"Awesome! So how does this weekend sound?"

"Uh…" This weekend. That was two days away. Well, I _did_promise my dad that I would visit him soon. Might as well break the news to him once we get there. "Yeah, okay. That sounds good,"

We discussed more on color schemes (definitely no pink), flowers, my dress and other typical wedding things for as long as I can take. Once again, Alice assured me that she could handle everything and if I wanted anything in particular, all I had to do was tell her. I was grateful she was my friend.

"How's everything going with Alice?" Edward asked while we ate dinner that night.

"She definitely doesn't waste any time," I chuckled. "She already has all these ideas put into actions like the flowers and the cake, though we still have to decide on the flavor for that one. Jasper's older sister Bernadette volunteered to design my gown so that's taken cared of too,"

"Really? Wow, she _does_ work fast," Edward approved.

"And she found a nice chapel in Forks for the actual ceremony," I added. "She wanted to fly out there this weekend so we can go check it out,"

Edward opened his mouth to respond but a distinct vibrating noise interrupted him. He excused himself to answer his phone but when he returned to the table, my iPhone was the one vibrating in his hand.

"Who is it?" I stood up and walked towards him, his narrowed eyes worrying me.

"It's your mother,"

Automatically, I stiffened. This was it. The moment I've been dreading. I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. Might as well get it over it.

"Hello?"

"Is there anything you want to tell me, Isabella?" the unmistakable scolding tone of Renee Dwyer met my ears.

"Such as?" I played dumb, feeling incredibly irritated. We were just starting to talk and I was already losing my cool.

"I don't know, how about the fact that you're engaged?" she shrieked. "How can you do this?"

"Easy. Edward asked me to marry him and I said yes," I shrugged. "I don't need your approval for this, mother,"

"The hell you do!" her voice was rising fast. "You're pregnant, aren't you?"

Well, now that _that_was open for discussion…

"Yes, as a matter of fact I _am,_mother," I hissed. "But that's not the reason why I'm getting married. Regardless of whether or not I have a child in me, Edward would still have me as his wife,"

"You incredibly stupid little girl. I thought I raised you better than this! I thought you've made your biggest mistake by agreeing to marry that boy but I was wrong. _This_is your greatest error,"

"Don't you dare call my child a mistake," I growled. "I don't care how many insults you fling at me mother but you do _not_say one bad thing about my child,"

"You mean your bastard baby?" she scoffed. "Are you sure it's even your boy Cullen's?"

Bitch, you did _not_just say that. I didn't know if it was the hormones or just all my pent up rage spilling out but that small statement was enough to make me lose it.

"ENOUGH!" I shouted, seeing nothing but red. "You know nothing so just shut up. I'm tired of hearing you say I've been nothing but a screw up when all I've done is do what I really want. I'm done. I give up. So you go on ahead and live whatever life you have after you left me with Charlie. In fact, I'm glad you did that. If you didn't, maybe I would've grown up to be exactly like you and that's the last thing I want for my baby to have: a mother like _you."_

I shakily pressed the end call button on the touch screen and just stood where I was. I don't know how long I was frozen on the spot but when Edward tentatively placed a hand on my shoulder, I finally broke down in tears.

"Shh, sweetheart, it's okay," he murmured into my hair while he rocked us back and forth on the sofa. I couldn't control the sobs that wracked my body as I ruined his shirt further with salt water.

"I – I couldn't h-handle it anymore," I hiccupped. "She called our baby a bastard,"

His arms tightened around me and pulled me even closer to him while I let it all out. I told him all about the call while he listened and rubbed my back. I knew half the things that came out of my mouth didn't make sense but Edward didn't say anything about it. He just continued to hold me and mumble sweet nothings in my ear and my hair.

I was so drained. Emotionally, I couldn't take anymore and my pregnancy wasn't helping my physical condition either.

But later that night, when we were snuggled in bed and I've shed my last tear, I couldn't deny the lighter feeling I had. It was like my burden was made a thousand times easier now that I've let out all the resentment I've had towards my mother.

I meant what I said about never wishing a mother like Renee onto anyone, especially for the baby currently residing in my womb. I silently swore that I'd never become the controlling woman she was and let my children grow up to be what they want to be. The last thing I need is for them to hate me.

Edward moved in his sleep and pulled me closer, effectively reminding me that I wasn't alone. No matter what, I knew I could count on him to love me and to love our kids. With that last assuring thought, I finally fell asleep.


	29. Chapter 29

"What rhymes with 'here', anyway?" Edward asked as he bit down on the pencil's eraser, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration.

"Uh…disappear, clear, insincere…" I ticked off.

To help me get my mind off the stressful phone call I received, Edward suggested we begin work on the _Midnight Sun _sound track. We were scheduled to have an earlier viewing of the movie sometime next week but he wanted to get started already.

Unlike how we usually did studio recordings and editings, song writing with New Moon was completely low tech. Papers and pencils are used instead of laptops and we bring out thesauruses and dictionaries to help verses sound better.

Edward admitted that he had the same protective instinct for me as Thomas had for Jaymes which was where he got the idea to title the song _You'll Be Safe Here._

"Okay, how does this sound. _When the light disappears, and when this world's insincere, you'll be safe here,"_

"Yeah, it sounds good," I approved before trying to find the right chords to go with the melody.

I was about to bend over and write them down when the urge to puke arose again. Still, I was careful in setting my guitar down before running to the bathroom.

"Ugh," I groaned as I laid down on tiles near the toilet after upchucking. I didn't mind being pregnant but sometimes it was just such a hassle to have to deal with the horrible morning sickness. This morning alone, I've already thrown up thrice.

"Bella?" Edward knocked softly. "You okay?"

"I'm good. Just the usual," I assured him without moving from my position. "Give me a minute,"

Once the mild wave of nausea passed, I got up carefully and brushed my teeth before opening the door to see a worried looking Edward.

"I'm fine," I waved him off. "Really hungry, but fine,"

The concerned expression still didn't leave his face.

"Edward, really, I'm okay," I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "The doctor said this is normal,"

"I know, it's just I feel like you're going to lack nutrition or something," he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close.

I snorted. "It's not like I'm bulimic or anorexic. Besides, I replenish everything I lose,"

As if on cue, my stomach groaned and I felt Edward chuckle.

"Lunch for my fiancée?" he asked.

"It's a little too early for lunch, don't you think?" I asked as I looked at the clock. It was ten in the morning.

"Touché. Post breakfast pre-lunch for my fiancée, then?"

"Sounds great,"

And that's pretty much how we spent the rest of the day. Between song writing, eating and the occasional make out slash groping session with Edward, I was feeling relaxed and the whole debacle with my mother was pretty much forgotten.

Or at least it was until Jacob called.

My husband-to-be was busy giving me a back rub when my phone started vibrating on the coffee table where I left it last night. I tensed automatically, feeling traumatized by the last time the small white rectangle called my attention.

Edward saw how I reacted and kissed the top of my head before reaching over and taking the device in his hand. My muscles tensed further as he looked at the screen.

"It's your brother,"

I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding and visibly relaxed. Knowing Jacob, he'd probably just bitch about the usual wedding stress and how ridiculous he was for agreeing with Ness about planning the whole thing themselves without the help of a professional.

With a small smile, I held my hand out for my phone.

"Hey Jake,"

"Um, hey Bells. I, uh, hey I have a question,"

"What's up?"

"Er, did Renee call you, like, within the past few days?"

"Yeaaaah," I dragged, feeling a bit confused as to where this conversation was leading. "Why?"

"She called me last night," Jake offered in explanation. "I couldn't really make sense of what she was saying but she seemed really, _really _mad. Even madder than the time I accidentally broke her expensive vase thing imported from China when I was six," I could practically see him flinch. "Do you know what's up with her?"

I took a harsh breath and my face contorted to what I think was a look of irritation. Let's get this shit over with.

"Yeah. She's going apeshit because she found out I was pregnant last night," I said with no emotion.

I expected my brother to start shouting or go completely silent and _then _start squealing but he just…laughed.

"Another preggo rumor, huh. Well, I suppose with all the…activities you and Cullen over there do, it's only a matter of time before it actually becomes true,"

"Your 'matter of time' is now, actually,"

There was a slight pause. "What do you mean? Are you saying that you're…holy shit, Bella, you're pregnant?"

"Yeah," I replied almost too casually.

"Holy shit. _Holy shit! I'm going to be an uncle!"_

I couldn't help but smile at the genuine excitement in Jacob's tone. This was the reaction I've been yearning for since I found out I was expecting. Though of course Edward and the guys were all ecstatic over the news, it was different when the squeals of joy were coming from family.

"Wow, congratulations! This is awesome news!"

"Thanks. It really is," I told him sincerely.

"Don't listen to anything Renee says," his voice suddenly turned serious. Guess it finally sunk in to him that our mother chewed me out for creating a baby. "Seriously. She's just…bitter or something. I dunno. Just…don't pay her any attention, alright?"

I nodded before realizing that he couldn't see me. "Um, yeah, I…don't let her get to me," Maybe I could blame last night's breakdown on hormones.

"Good, good," he took a breath. "Have you told Charlie, by the way?"

"Uh…"

"I'll take that as a no,"

"Yeah but me and Edward are going to Forks this weekend," I informed him as Edward set his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his side on the sofa. "We'll tell him then,"

"Oh, okay. Anyway, I'm sure the old man's going to be cool with Baby C. He really likes Edward and you're getting married anyway so…well, he's a lot easier to deal with than Renee but I can come with you if you want,"

"I appreciate the offer but we'll be fine," I smiled. "Besides, aren't you busy planning for your wedding?"

A loud groan resonated from the other line. "Don't remind me. I'm losing my freakin' mind here! The whole thing is just…_pink! _Motherfucking pink! I feel like I'm going to throw up or some shit,"

"You poor child," I shook my head in mock pity. "Why didn't you say anything to Nes about the color scheme anyway, since it's making you sicker than a dog?"

He sighed. "I'm more whipped than I realized apparently,"

"Heh. You don't say,"

"Shut up. What about you, huh? I'm not hearing any complaints about marriage stress. Wait, are you getting hitched before or after you pop?"

"Before. And that's what happens when you get a good wedding planner to handle everything,"

We talked for a few more minutes but Jake had to leave eventually due to more husband/fiancé duties. The whole conversation made me feel even happier about employing someone else to be in charge of my own nuptials.

"I take it Jacob took the news well?" Edward asked with a grin after I hung up.

"Definitely. He's excited to be an uncle,"

"I bet," he moved his free hand to rest on my still flat stomach. "How is he?"

I shrugged a little before cuddling to his side and resting my head on his shoulder. "You know, same old same old. He's going crazy with his wedding planning though,"

"I'm glad we have Alice then," his hand started moving in circles. "I wouldn't want to put too much stress on you. I don't think it would be good for the baby,"

"Mm," I agreed. We were quiet for a while until Edward spoke again.

"I can't wait to him," he murmured before pressing his lips to my temple.

"Or her," I corrected teasingly.

"Or her," he allowed, pulling me closer.

I allowed myself to soak in as much feelings of being safe in Edward's arms as I could. Lord knows I'm going to need it when we get to Forks.

The next morning, Edward and I made our way airport to catch our flight from Los Angeles to Seattle with Alice and Jasper. The minute I saw her, the first thing I heard was something about how fabulous I looked and how pregnancy looked good on me.

"Shh," I shushed her as subtly as I could. The place was busy and crowded as usual and the noise everyone was making probably drowned her statement out to the ears of others, but I wasn't taking any chances. Edward and I were hounded by the paparazzi when we came in and I know they're still lurking around.

"Right. Sorry. It's still a secret and all, but seriously. You look gorgeous," she pulled me into a hug.

"She always has," Edward came to stand beside me and press his lips against my forehead. "Nice to see you again, Alice,"

"You, too. Oh, you guys are going to _love _everything I've put together so far," she was about to say something more but Jasper placed a hand over her mouth.

"You might want to reserve that conversation for the plane ride, darlin'," he gestured to some cameramen who were shamelessly aiming their DSLR's at us.

Alice wasn't happy about containing her excitement but she didn't mention anything wedding-related our entire wait for our flight to arrive. However, as soon as we were alone in the first class cabin, her mouth was working over time.

"Don't you just love this?" she shoved her iPad into my hands and pointed excitedly to the rough sketch of my wedding dress.

"It's really beautiful," I nodded in approval. It wasn't anything big or elaborate but was elegant and very sensual. It appeared kinda tight on the screen and the train looked dangerous but I'm sure I could pull off wearing it. It was too pretty for me not to.

"What is?" Edward moved to have a better look but Alice's lightning fast moves had the device out of my reach and into hers over to the other side of the isle before he could get even a slight glance.

"No way, Cullen. You're not seeing this 'till the day of. Now tell me, how do you feel about a twilight reception?"

I was so glad we were the only ones in business class and there was a pretty thick barrier between us and the other passengers because by the way Alice was prattling about details, everyone would be in on the plans and would probably show up in Forks on my wedding day since they'd know when it is and what the dress code restricts.

Three hours later, we arrived at Sea-Tac and got in our rented car which would take us to Forks. The drive would normally take just four or three hours depending on who's driving but due to my pregnant self threatening to throw up on the carpet, we ended up being on the road for five and a half hours.

"Finally," Alice huffed dramatically as we finally pulled up in front of our hotel.

Her attitude was pissing me off. I was hungry, tired, and incredibly moody and here she was complaining for having to endure two more hours of travelling?

I opened my mouth to tell her to shut it with the bitching but Edward led me through the revolving doors before I could start an unnecessary shit storm.

After having something to eat and showering, I was feeling better and was more presentable for my father. It was close to seven when we reached the Swan residence.

"You ready?" Edward asked while we idled in front of my childhood home.

"As I'll ever be," I sighed. "Come on. No use prolonging the inevitable,"

We both got out of the car and walked the few steps to the porch where a single bulb was lit. Edward took my hand in his just as I took a deep breath and knocked. When there wasn't a response, I tried again and Edward rang the door bell at the same time.

"You don't think they went out, do you?" he asked as he tried to see through the curtain.

"Nah, I don't think so," I said. "Charlie would never allow the lights to be turned on while no one's home."

The two of us just stood there for a minute and I was about to try banging on the door again when I finally heard someone at the other side of the wood.

"Okay, okay, I'm getting it!" a low-voiced someone retorted before the door finally swung open and I was met with a shocked looking Seth.

"Hey Seth. Long time no see," I smiled at him easily. He had grown a lot since I've seen him – he was practically as tall as Edward though my fiancé was about three inches taller. His blond hair was falling to his eyes and his shirt had a chocolate milk stain on it.

"B – Bella?" he stuttered before swallowing audibly.

"Yeah, you still remember your pseudo-step sister, right?" I joked but that didn't seem to lighten the mood. He was still stiff as a board but managed to smile and say "Yeah, how can I ever forget?"

"Oh and uh, this is Edward, by the way," I added quickly. "Edward, this is Seth. Seth, this is Edward,"

"Hi," Edward's tone was easy going and friendly as he held his hand out but Seth still seemed a bit nervous as he shook it.

"Boy, what's taking you so long?" I could hear Charlie approach. "Who's there at the – Bella?"

I looked around my other brother's lanky body and came face to face with my dad. "Hey pops,"

"Bells! What are you doing in town?" he came over quickly with a look of excitement on his face. "Good to see you, Edward,"

"It's good to see you too, sir,"

"Enough with the 'sir' business, son. You're family now. Oh and don't keep standing there outside. Come in! Boy, move out of the way,"

Charlie had to practically shove Seth's semi -frozen self out of the way to let us in and I couldn't help but laugh at his jolted expression as he was carted to the side.

"This is a nice surprise," my father's grin grew bigger as he sat down on his favorite recliner. "You have any wedding matters to settle here?"

"Yeah, uh, Alice said she found a nice church here where we can have the ceremony," I said. "But we wanted to visit you guys too," Just then, my stomach started growling, showing that the quick room service we ordered earlier was definitely not enough to satiate any long term hunger.

"I bet you two haven't even had dinner yet,"

"Yeah, we haven't," Edward chuckled a little. "We just got to Forks, actually. We came straight here after checking in,"

"Well, then I think it's time for some homemade grub," Charlie rubbed his beer belly. "Hey Sue!"

"What?" She sounded a little annoyed as she banged around in the small kitchen.

"We have enough to feed two more, don't we?"

"I know you're starving Charlie. You don't have to…" Sue appeared through the small doorway looking like her patience has been tried enough but that disappeared as soon as she saw me.

"Oh, Bella, it's you!" she shrieked in girlish glee and before I knew it, I was ensconced in a hug.

"I'm happy to see you too," I laughed lightly.

"And Edward's here too! You look even more handsome than I remember," despite their height difference, my sort-of-step mother managed to get her arms around my future husband's shoulders.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to call you two," she beamed at both of us. "But with your planning and everything, I didn't know if it was a good idea. I'm so happy you came to visit!

"Let me see the ring. Oh this is gorgeous!" Sue was sounding more and more like Alice when she was high on excitement as I held out my left hand proudly and showed her my engagement ring.

"Where did you get this, Edward? It's so unique. I don't think I've ever seen any ring like this,"

"It was my grandmother's, actually," Edward explained. "I had it shipped from England,"

"Of course, I forgot you're Engli – "

"Mom, what's going on?" Leah's distinctive whining grew more audible as she made her way downstairs. She froze as soon as she spotted Edward and I.

"Leah, isn't this great? Bella and Edward came by to visit!"

"Uhh…hi," she stuttered a bit before dashing back upstairs.

"Sorry about her," Seth came closer as he rubbed the back of his neck. "She's really into…" he gestured towards Edward.

"Yeah I remember," I murmured, feeling irrationally jealous. Blame it on the preggo hormones.

"Well, I'll leave you guys to catch up. I'll call when dinner's ready," Sue gave one last smile before disappearing behind the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room.

I plopped down on the sofa just as Charlie excused himself to answer his radio which was filling the room with the sound of static. Edward sat next to me and Seth positioned himself on the arm rest of Charlie's seat.

"Err, sorry about being all…wonky earlier. I'm just feeling a little…overwhelmed," my step brother offered as explanation for his catatonic behavior.

"It's cool, man," Edward smiled at him. "I've seen people act worse,"

"Yeah," he chuckled. "So…um…you guys are getting married, huh?"

Conversation with Seth became less awkward after that and by the time we were called to eat, he was already cracking jokes and telling us stories about his friends who apparently had crushes on me.

"…so I was like 'dude, that's my _sister _you're talking about' but that never stopped Jared," he told us pointedly and sat down.

"Can we _please_ change the subject, now?" Edward asked exasperatedly. "I really don't want to know what pubescent teenage boys think of the woman that's going to be my wife,"

"Or my daughter," Charlie added a little gruffly. "And where the hell is Leah? I'm starving!"

"I'll go get her," Sue trudged up the stairs while the rest of us chatted amicably while we waited. Moments later, Sue was back with a totally decked out Leah.

"Are you going somewhere tonight, young lady?" Dad asked as he raised an eyebrow at her heavy makeup and short clothes.

"There's no crime in looking fabulous," she replied before taking a seat. She looked over at Edward through her lashes and bit her lip and I almost threw my spoon at her.

"Slut," Seth muttered.

"Alright, that's enough. Let's eat!"

Aside from the flirtatious attitude the little whore – I mean _Leah _– had towards Edward, dinner was fun. I'll admit I always had a smug grin on my face at any mention of the upcoming nuptials and whenever Edward would reach over and touch me affectionately. Petty I know, but I didn't care. He was mine and mine alone, bitch.

"Look at you. You're positively glowing," Sue gushed as she served dessert.

"Yeah, happiness is a good look on me," I smiled.

"I'm sure you're very happy, dear. Especially with a fiancé like that," she winked. "But there's something more…"

Suddenly, her loud gasp filled the room and she almost dropped the dish in her hands. "You're pregnant!"

All eyes were suddenly on me and I felt a blush creep into my cheeks. I opened my mouth to confirm what she said or to say anything but I just couldn't. It was a good thing I had Edward.

"Yes, she is," he smiled warmly at all of them before wrapping an arm around my shoulders and moving to sit closer to me. "That was actually another reason why we decided to come over. We wanted to tell you the good news in person,"

"OH MY GOD! YOU'RE ACTUALLY PREGNANT!" Sue cried before she haphazardly left the pie at the edge of the table before she pulled me into an embrace. "Oh baby, I'm so happy for you!"

I couldn't help but revel in the feel of her motherly arms around me. This was supposed to be how a mom reacts when her daughter tells her that she's going to have a grandbaby.

"Whoa, really? Congrats, dude," I saw Seth reach over and shake Edward's hand through the small spaces between Sue's hair.

"You're pregnant?" Charlie repeated as Sue began to prattle excitedly about how she has always wanted a grandchild and how spoiled the baby's going to be.

"Sue, let me talk for a minute," my father stopped her with a serious expression on his face. "Bella?"

"Yeah, dad. You're gonna be a grandfather," I confirmed.

"You're…huh," he slumped in his chair. He looked contemplative for a minute then opened his mouth to speak again. "Are you two getting married because of the baby?"

"Of course not, Charlie," Edward stepped in. "We only learned about the pregnancy after I proposed,"

"Well then, that's…" he tried to continue but couldn't seem to find the words.

"Do you know if it's a boy or girl yet? When are you due?" Sue resumed her ecstatic questions.

"Um, it's too early to tell," I said. "But the doctor said he or she's coming out on December eighteenth,"

"What about the wedding?"

"We're having it here in three weeks. That's another reason why we're in Forks. My friend Alice found a nice chapel where we could have the ceremony in and she wanted us to see it in person,"

Edward and I answered as much queries from as we could. The only ones who were quiet the whole time were Leah and Charlie.

Eventually, my morning sickness kicked in again and I hurriedly excused myself to the bathroom. Edward quickly followed after me and held my hair until I was done.

"I can't wait till this part is over," I moaned as he helped me stand. "All I want is to be hungry and moody and tired all the time,"

"Let's not forget horny," my fiancé added with a mischievous grin. "That's the most important one,"

I barked a laugh. "Of course. We can _never _forget _horny_, now can we?"

Both of us were still teasing each other as we exited the small, cramped room but we stopped as soon as we saw a poker faced Charlie waiting in the hallway.

"Can I talk to you, Bella?" he asked.

"Um, sure," I wasn't sure how the conversation was going to lead and I clutched Edward's arm.

"Alone, please," he noticed my action.

I looked pleadingly at Edward but he simply smiled softly and kissed my forehead, promising that he'll be in the living room if I needed him.

_But I need you now!  
><em>

I watched his back disappear into the front room before looking back to my dad. "So…uh…what's up?"

"Let's talk somewhere more private, Bells,"

He placed a hand on the small of my back and led me to the backyard. There weren't any seats there but I didn't mind. I was too anxious to sit.

The air was so awkward as the two of us just stood there without talking but I didn't know how to start the conversation. I knew this was about the bomb that was dropped during dinner time but I had no idea how to bring it up properly.

"Bella," the silence was finally broke. "I love you, kid. You know that right?"

"Yeah. I, um, I love you too, dad,"

"And you know that I'll love you no matter what?"

I nodded. "I know that, too,"

"Good," he sighed. "I'm sorry I acted…the way I did earlier. I'm happy for you, kid, I really am. Having a child is a joy like no other and I won't begrudge you that. It's just…I'm still in shock, you know?"

"Yeah, I understand," I exhaled in relief. Now that I knew he was going to accept my baby and would still be supportive, I no longer feared anything else he had to say.

"Sometimes I still see you as the seventeen year old rebel who'd wake me up at three in the morning because of that damn guitar and come home from school complaining about homework. But then I turn on the television and look through those magazines and I realize that you're not that girl anymore. You're out there making a living and making your own decisions.

"As a father, it's hard for me to accept that at times but just know that I'm happy about the choices you've made. You picked a good man as your partner for life and the bundle of joy you're going to bring into this world will give you a better view of your purpose on this earth. I know you're mature enough to handle this – you've always been too smart for your age but when you need any help, you'll always have me,"

I didn't know what to say after his whole heart-felt speech at first. I think the first thought that entered my mind was how emotional Charlie was getting. He and I were never ones to talk about feelings and such so this was…new. The second was pure happiness over the fact that my father accepted me and the person inside me.

In fact, I was so happy, I started crying tears of joy.

"Aw, Bella," he chuckled a little as he pulled me into an awkward embrace. "I don't think I've ever seen you cry aside from the time Jacob threw your books into the ocean,"

"Hormones," I hiccupped then smiled at the memory.

"You'll make a great mother," he whispered as he rubbed my back. "That baby's going to be lucky,"

"I love you, daddy,"

"I love you, too,"

After the whole emotional sap-fest outside, Charlie and I came back inside with lighter feelings. Everyone had gathered in the living room and was in the middle of a discussion when I saw them.

"Everything okay?" Edward asked as I sat next to him.

"It's all good," I said.

"You haven't answered my question yet, Edward," Sue demanded. She already had the role of the overbearing-but-with-good-intentions-mother-in-law down to a pat. "Do you and Bella plan to buy a house?"

"Well we haven't discussed that yet," I answered for him.

"Do you want to?" Edward turned to me.

"Sure," I shrugged. "I mean…if we're going to have more babies, then we need more room. Jake pretty much already took over my house,"

"You plan to have more?"

"Ah…why not?"

Sue was once again reduced to squeals of joy as she reached for Charlie's hand and told him about how excited she was about the thought of more grandbabies. Seth joked that if she wanted some so badly, he should "forget" about using a condom the next time he did it with his girlfriend Claire. That just earned him glares.

"You really want more kids?" Edward whispered while Charlie was still scolding my other brother about the difficulties of early parenthood and how he should always be safe.

"Of course," I replied easily. "With you as the daddy, they aren't going to be less than perfect,"

_**You'll Be Safe Here **_**is a real song written by Filipino band Rivermaya. No copyright infringement intended.**


	30. Chapter 30

"…and columns of flowers every five seats. The theme is clean and elegant so I was thinking we can combine white with…Bella, are you even listening?"

"Eh?" I pulled my eyes away from the intricate carvings etched onto the ceiling of the chapel and looked at an annoyed Alice.

"I don't know why I even bothered dragging you here," she sighed and shook her head. "You're probably just going to agree with whatever I plan because you're too lazy or distracted to disagree,"

"Hey, that's not true," Sorta. "I'll still stop you if you make things bigger than they're supposed to be,"

"I'm sure you will. Oh and I've been meaning to ask you about your guest list. We only have thirty pews in here and I need to know if I still have to get more,"

I ran my fingers through the loose tendrils of hair that the pony tail didn't hold. "Edward and I haven't talked about that yet but I can assure you, the list is going to be short. Only people who are close to us are going to be invited. When do you need it?"

"While we're still in Forks," she replied. "And speaking of Edward, where the hell is he?"

I looked around the empty cathedral and didn't see any signs of him. "Beats me. He was right behind me last time I checked,"

Alice sighed again. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you two. Go look for him and I'll speak to the minister so we can start the official paperwork,"

I shrugged and walked down the aisle and through the large double doors. I spotted Jasper who was leaning against the rented car and was in the middle of a conversation with his sister, Bryce's weekend babysitter, but there was no Edward.

I felt cold drops of rain land on my head so I pulled my hood up and walked through the small pathway that led to the garden behind the church.

I spotted my bronze haired boy sitting on a wooden bench not too far from where I was. His back was to me so I didn't know what he was doing but he was crouched over something and his shoulders seemed tense.

"Edward?" I tentatively placed both hands on him. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he mumbled as his body sagged and he turned to look at me with a small smile.

I smiled back. "What are you doing?"

"Just…reading e-mails," he waved his phone.

"I see," I sat down next to him. "Got anything interesting?"

"I did, actually,"

"Oh? What is it?"

"Something from Carlisle,"

My body stiffened at the mention of my future father-in-law. Nothing good ever came from when he contacted us. But maybe he just sent a funny joke or something. _Please_let it be a funny joke or something.

"Unfortunately, it's not," Edward sighed. I didn't realize I was talking out loud.

"What did he say then?"

"He just wanted us to know that he…he and Esme would be arriving in California next week,"

The news didn't really sink in for a solid minute but when it did, I slumped against the wooden backrest and muttered "Well, shit,"

"Don't stress about it, love," a warm arm wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him. "Remember, I gave you full consent to let my mother know exactly what you're thinking. She's done enough and I won't have her doing anything to you _or_the baby,"

I smiled deviously at his reminder. "Oh yeaaaaah. I completely forgot about that. I changed my mind, then. I'm excited about them coming,"

He chuckled just as the rain began to fall faster and in more amounts. "Come on. Let's get you indoors before you catch a cold,"

We finished all the business we needed to finish in the church before even more buckets of water began to descend from the sky.

"What's the next agenda?" I asked as we drove back to the hotel.

"I'm going to make more arrangements here and get more things ready for the wedding while you get your guest list ready. And I mean you seriously need to get it prepared. I know how you two like to procrastinate," Alice gave me the look through the rear view mirror.

"Do I get to hang out in the hotel too?" Jasper asked with a hopeful tone as he turned to his wife in the backseat.

She just snorted. "You wish. You're coming with me. I need a chauffeur for the day,"

Jasper groaned but shut up quickly as soon as Alice glared at him. It was obvious he was beginning to regret wanting to accompany us on this trip.

"And don't forget, Bella. Your dad invited us all to dinner tonight,"

"Yeah, yeah," I waved her off just as the back entrance of the hotel neared. Forks was a small town but the residents lived for gossip and celebrity sightings so to stay on the safe side, we used the opening that wasn't so exposed.

"What do we do now?" I asked, plopping in the middle of our unmade bed.

"Probably something along the lines of deciding who to invite?" Edward's tone was sarcastic. He picked up the hotel stationary and a pen from the desk. The mattress bounced a bit as he sat next to me.

I groaned. "You're seriously listening to Alice's instructions?"

"No time like the present to do this," he shrugged. "Okay, so definitely, the whole of New Moon's invited. Then there's…Bella, what are you doing?"

"Hmm?" I mumbled as my arms wrapped around his neck from behind and my lips were attached to his neck.

"Are you trying to kill me?" he hissed when I licked his jaw and my fingers journeyed south.

"You're the one who wanted the horny fiancée," I reminded him just as he turned to face me and I began to unbutton my blouse. "Well, she's right here, baby,"

I never got to take my top off because Edward did that all by himself. It was practically in shreds by the time it was tossed on the floor. The rest of my clothes and his own followed not too soon after.

Needless to say, we didn't get to add any more names on the list for the next two hours.

"Shit, Bella," Edward was still trying to get his breathing to normalize. "That has got to be the best sex I've ever had!"

"Even better than the other five times we did it?" I smirked while I climbed off of him.

He let out a wheezy chuckle and opened his arms for me to lie in. "I'll admit, the others are close seconds,"

I laughed a little and settled myself next to him.

"Who knew we'd actually end up here,"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You know. Engaged with the wedding just weeks away. Expecting a baby,"

"Ah," I nodded. "I certainly wouldn't have known. For a really long time, I thought all you'd ever see in me was a friend,"

"Really?" his voice sounded curious. I guess I never did tell him about my feelings for him before the world tour began.

"Yeah. I mean, you had Lauren who had more experience than me and whom you seemingly couldn't keep your hands off of. Unrequited love is painful but I told myself to get used to it. I'm happy that I never had to, though,"

Edward didn't reply for a long second and I went over my words in my head. Did I say something offensive?

"Unrequited love," he finally murmured. "You loved me even back then?"

"Yes," I said truthfully. "I can't pinpoint the exact moment I knew but even when you were with her, I knew I loved you,"

"I can," he whispered. "The day of the _TRL_premiere. I was never as comfortable with anyone as I was with you. You were funny, sweet, honest and just so beautiful I ask myself up to this day why I never saw that before,"

"So we could've been together sooner," I stated then sighed. This is just typical.

"Yeah, but that doesn't matter anymore. The only things that matter are the present and future when I'll finally be able to call you my wife and gorgeous mother of my child,"

Tears actually began to form in my eyes.

"Aw, Edward – "

I was cut off by the distinct vibration of someone's phone. In an instant, my sappy mood was replaced by that of irritation.

"That's probably Alice calling to check on our progress," Edward sighed. And it was. As soon as we searched through the pockets of our jeans on the floor and found the vibrating iPhone – mine – my demanding wedding planner was nagging me.

"You two haven't done shit, have you?"

"Yes we have," I replied a little too defensively. It was true. Edward had written 'New Moon' before we had the sex-a-thon. "It's just… a really painstaking process trying to narrow down how many people to a reasonably small number," I lied a little.

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry. But next time I call you better have it ready,"

"Yes, boss,"

She hung up.

"Well," I huffed and sat on the mattress. "Looks like we really _have_to obey her instructions,"

"No shit," Edward chuckled. His green eyes roamed my body in a completely inappropriate manner. "You may want to go get dressed first, though. I can't be responsible for suddenly burying my face between your legs later if you don't,"

We got to work a couple of minutes later and it turned out that what I told Alice was true. It really w_as_painstaking trying to create the shortest list of guests ever.

But we managed to do it. We just kept asking ourselves what significance this person has to our lives and of course, if we actually like them or not. The paper was a mess of my handwriting combined with Edward's and a bunch of superimpositions and hasty erasures but we finally finished it.

Renee was never included and I knew she'd never attend but I wondered if I should send her an invite anyway. Maybe I should. After all, she was my mother albeit just by blood. It looks like my bigger-person streak was still continuing.

About an hour and a half later, Alice, Jasper, Edward and I were sitting around the Swan dining table, pigging out on Sue's feast for fifty which was totally fine with me since my ability to eat a meal for three quadrupled with pregnancy.

"Slow down, Bella," Alice chuckled. "Jeez, you're killing the chicken!"

"First of all, the chicken's already dead and second, one does not simply take delicious roasted fowl away from pregnant lady," I stretched my arm and managed to snag the leg.

"I suppose this means I'll have to double my catering order for the reception," she shook her head and laughed.

"Where are you having that, by the way?" Sue asked. "I don't think the only hotel in town can accommodate your guests,"

"Oh, it's not going to be in a hotel," Alice informed her. "And we don't need much space. The guest list is incredibly short,"

"Really?" Sue sounded surprised. "I was expecting a big party,"

"Unfortunately, not even _I_can cook up a big party with the limited time these two gave me," she jutted her thumb towards Edward and me.

"Wait, you got the number of people who are coming set already?" Seth tried to speak through a mouthful of mashed potatoes. "Does that mean I can't invite Claire?"

"Sure you can," Edward answered. "I'm sure Alice can bring in one more seat. That is, of course, if she wants to attend,"

"Are you freaking kidding me, man? It's _your_wedding we're talking about here. Of course she'll want to attend! That's like, being invited to the queen's funeral or something,"

"Comparing my wedding to a funeral. Thanks a lot, bro," I shook my head in mock offense.

"You know what I mean," Seth rolled his eyes.

"What about you, Leah?" Edward turned his head towards her and I had to hold in my laughter. Her expression was priceless. "Do you plan on bringing anyone?"

"I…um…" she stuttered. "I don't know yet,"

"You aren't dating anyone, are you?" Charlie demanded as he stabbed a chunk of carrot. "You're too young to date,"

"Oh please, Charlie," Sue all but waved her hand at him. "Like Bella never dated when she was a teenager,"

"Actually, she didn't," my father told her pointedly. "Edward here's her first,"

"And last," my fiancé felt the need to add.

"Oh please," Leah snorted. "You really believe that?"

Cue hormones awakening the inner bitch. "Why? Does it sound so unbelievable?"

"What kind of a teenager doesn't date? A loser, probably," she muttered.

"Excuse me, but just because I didn't date back in high school doesn't mean I'm a loser," I was definitely starting to get riled up. "Though by the way you dress and act, I'm guessing you're one of those girls who don't care about anything but boys,"

"You're just jealous because I can actually _get_boys' attentions,"

"_I'm_the jealous one? Who's been obsessing over _my_fiancé and has been glaring knives at the back of my head since I got here?"

Leah was about to give some snarky reply and I was getting ready to have a better rebuttal but Charlie broke up the fight before it got good.

"Calm down," Jasper placed a hand on my shoulder most probably to keep me from leaping off of my seat and pouncing on her.

"I'm sorry," I sighed and massaged my temples.

"Leah, apologize," That was Sue.

Like any petulant sixteen year old, Leah didn't obey her mother. Instead, she stood up, stomped one foot like some kid from the Disney Channel before declaring that she hated all of us then ran up to her room.

Everyone was quiet until Charlie finally cleared his throat.

"Well," he said gruffly. "I'm happy to see you can still set people straight,"

"Heh. No shit," I smiled a little ruefully. "I'm just getting sick of her attitude. Well, that and then there's the mommy hormones,"

"I'm really sorry, Bella," Sue apologized unnecessarily.

"It's fine," I cut her off before she could continue.

I didn't feel like eating anymore and everyone else felt awkward so that was our cue to leave. Charlie promised that he'll talk to my pseudo-step sister and that she's going to be on her best behavior when we return for the wedding.

"I never realized you could get so aggressive," Edward's smile was teasing as we drove back to the hotel.

I shrugged. "I was kinda expecting it, honestly. Besides, bitch had it coming,"

He chuckled. "If that's the kind of response you give to something as petty as what Leah said, I wonder what you'll do when we see my parents,"

He didn't have to wonder for very long. Two days later, we were picking up my future in-law's from LAX.

"It's good to see you again, Edward," Carlisle gave him a one armed man hug.

"You, too,"

"And Bella, you look even lovelier than I remember," he grinned and surprisingly, pulled me into a hug as well.

"Ah, thank you," I blinked.

As expected, Esme paid me no heed. Instead, she asked Edward if it was really supposed to be this hot and if the airport air conditioning vents were on.

It was bad enough that I had to interact with them so it was a given that they were most definitely not staying in the guest room Edward's pad provided but in a hotel instead. Of course, it had to be a five-star place. God forbid Esme Cullen suffer in the management of a four-star inn.

The car ride was awkward. No one could think of a good ice breaker so we all stayed quiet. We were stuck in traffic when Carlisle decided to speak up.

"How are the wedding plans coming?" he asked.

"They're...moving along," Edward answered. "Jasper's wife, Alice, is handling everything,"

"I see," Carlisle nodded. "What about the location?"

"Alice found a nice chapel in Forks,"

"Forks," Esme interrupted. "There's a place in this country called _Forks?"_

"As a matter of fact, there is," I answered her. "It's where I was raised,"

She snorted and mumbled something I couldn't hear but I narrowed my eyes all the same. Edward reached over to my lap and grasped my hand in his.

Carlisle continued to fire questions about the wedding and I'd occasionally answer a couple of them. Esme didn't contribute much to the conversations aside from inaudible side comments so I tried not to get myself too angry. It was annoying as hell, though.

I was thankful when we finally reached the Four Seasons. That meant we could finally drop off the harpy and her husband then I could go home and have hot sex with my soon-to-be husband till the bed breaks.

"Thank you for the ride," Carlisle smiled at both of us as the Volvo followed a long line of cars that made stops in front of the hotel entrance. "Would you like to join us for lunch?"

"Um, that's really nice of you but no thanks," I gave him a small grin. "I'm…ah, feeling a little tired,"

"Oh, that reminds me. I forgot to ask. How far along are you, Bella?"

"You're expecting?"

Well. I suppose that's a way to break the news that I was preggos.

"Yes, mother, she is," Edward looked at his mom through the rear view mirror, his tone practically screaming 'you got something to say 'bout that?'

I braced myself for the shit storm Carlisle accidentally created, waiting for the yells of anger.

Instead, all I heard were shrieks of…joy.

"Oh, dear, that's wonderful!" Esme's eyes were practically brimming with tears. "You don't know how long I've wanted a grandchild. When did you find out?"

My jaw was on the floor so I couldn't answer immediately. However, Edward, who looked just as shocked as I was, managed to speak coherently.

"We…um, it was around last week,"

"Last week? And you didn't even bother to call me? You can't just keep news this exciting to yourselves!"

"We didn't think you'd take it…well," Hah. That was an understatement.

"What kind of a mother wouldn't take news of a grandbaby well? Now I _really_insist you two come with us for lunch. When do you expect that he or she would arrive, Bella?"

"December," I managed to choke out.

"Brilliant! It would be like a gift for the Holidays! What about the nursery? Have you bought a crib yet? And what about your living conditions, by the way? Surely, you don't plan to raise my grandchild in that apartment of yours, do you Edward?"

"Uh…"

"Slow down, darling," Carlisle finally stepped in, his laugh a little higher pitched than normal. Probably out of shock. "We have plenty of time to ask them questions later,"

"Of course, of course," Esme smiled at me. "Can we meet sometime? I'd love to hear all about, well, everything!"

"Sure, mom," Edward smiled. "I'll call you,"

"Take care of Isabella, alright?" she said sternly.

"Yes, mother. I will,"

We were back in the condo about fifteen minutes later and I _still_wasn't over Esme's reaction.

"That was…unexpected," Edward exhaled as he dropped his keys on the table by the door.

"And that's a huge understatement," I sat on the sofa in a complete daze. "What the hell just happened?"

"I really have no idea, but I'm really thankful. It could've been a _lot_worse,"

"That it could've," I agreed. "But still, man. Holy shit,"

"Even my dad was surprised," he shook his head. "I didn't know my mother wanted grandkids,"

'Wanted' was putting it mildly, it would seem. The next day, Esme brought a dozen nursery catalogues and pages of Internet searches about proper pre-natal care in her tablet to our brunch date. She also told me stories about how she was when she carried and gave birth to Edward.

I have never felt such a mix of shock (yes, it still hasn't worn off), awe, and…learned-ness (is that even a word?). I mean, I actually _learned_from the things she told me.

For short, I was very overwhelmed.

"I think hell has officially frozen over," Edward declared with a chuckle after Esme and Carlisle said goodbye with promises of buying nursery furniture and helping me plan the baby shower.

"I think you're right," I shook my head.

"Are you holding up okay?" he rubbed my back and placed a kiss on my temple.

"I'm good," I said. "And…happy. The baby's going to have a grandmother,"

"A grandmother who's no doubt going to spoil him rotten,"

"But a grandmother all the same,"

I thought about how even Esme – who hated my guts – could forget her less than accepting feelings for me so she could be excited about the little boy or girl Edward and I created while my own mother just…made me feel like a disappointment.

I didn't realize that I was crying until I felt fingers wipe away the moisture from my cheeks.

"Sorry," I sniffled. "I'm on a huge emotional rollercoaster right now,"

"You were thinking of Renee, weren't you?" he asked softly.

I nodded and buried my face in his chest. He wrapped both arms around me whispered that everything would work out in my hair until I finally stopped crying.

"I need a distraction," I sighed. "I can't handle feeling angry then relieved then feeling depressed right now,"

Luckily for me, that distraction came quickly while I went through Edward's mail.

It was an invite to Jacob's wedding.


	31. Chapter 31

Ah preggo hormones.

What you do to a woman who's watching an emotional movie.

"Why are you crying?" Edward's tone was a little bewildered as he handed me a tissue. I sniffled and took it from him, still amidst bawling my eyes out.

"This movie gives me feels, man," I explained a bit pathetically as I waved to the screen. "You know that,"

"Yes, you did mention something like that before," he allowed. "But you watched _Welcome to the Rileys _months ago and all you said was that it was sad,"

"It _is _sad!" I exclaimed. "And your kid's making it sadder,"

Edward chuckled then patted my belly before leaning down to kiss it. "Of course. How can forget about the raging hormones?"

I laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. In case you haven't noticed, I'm kinda all over the place lately,"

It was true. This morning, I was in hysterics over not finding the proper knife for cutting bread. Then I was irrationally pissed at the McDonald's delivery dude because my sundae had melted when he got here.

Now I was crying my eyes out because of Kristen Stewart.

Meh. At least I wasn't puking that much anymore.

"Well, she _is _a very good actress," Edward commented. I hadn't realized I had talked out loud.

"I know! You can just…_feel _the emotion in the way she plays Mallory. That's not helping make the whole thing be any less distressing. And it's just…you can't help but feel sorry for her, y'know? And the Rileys, too. I can't even imagine how hard it is to bury your own child,"

"That's why I have to keep you and the little one safe," he smiled and nuzzled my neck. I yawned as he pulled away. "And keeping you safe means keeping you healthy, too. Let's go to bed, baby. I know you're tired from waking up early this morning,"

"But the movie's not even done yet," I said though my eyes were starting to get droopy at the mention of the word 'bed.'

"We can watch it again some other time. Now come on. We still have Jacob's rehearsal dinner tomorrow,"

"Right. Rehearsal dinner," I nodded as Edward scooped me up in his arms and carried me to the bedroom. "Do you think there's gonna be a dress code?"

"For the rehearsal dinner?"

"Nah. For the wedding,"

"Oh," he paused as he settled me onto the mattress. "Uh, the invite didn't say anything so I'm assuming that there isn't one. Why?"

"I dunno," I yawned again. "I just have a feeling that if there _is _one, it's going to involve a color I really don't like,"

"Pink," Edward smirked.

"Of course," I almost added a 'duh.' "Can you imagine a room filled with _that_?"

I didn't have to imagine however, because while the people were all dressed in varying colors, the room was decorated in just one.

That's right.

PINK.

"Holy shit," I muttered as we entered the reception hall. "It's like someone threw up Pepto Bismol!"

"Even _I _have to agree that this is a bit too much," Edward replied. "I didn't realize someone could be so…_passionate _about one color,"

"I thought this was supposed to be paired with cream or something,"

"Well, the roses are in cream. And the uh, chairs. And…yeah, I can't find anything else,"

"I wonder how Jake's taking this,"

"You can ask him yourself,"

I stopped looking around the candy land that was my brother's event and saw that he was approaching us.

"There you guys are! I've been looking all over for you!" Jacob greeted enthusiastically as he came closer. "It feels like such a long time since we've seen each other,"

"It really has," I smiled at him. "It's good to see you again, Jacob,"

"You, too. Oh and congratulations, by the way! On the engagement and the…" he gestured subtly at my stomach.

"Thank you," Edward answered. "Congratulations on your wedding, too. I see you guys are going for a very…uh, _happy _theme here,"

Jake groaned. "I know, man. But it makes Nes happy, so…" he shrugged.

"Speaking of Nessie, where is she?" It was really only then that I realized that my sister-in-law wasn't with us.

"She's with her friends," Jacob gestured to a group of girls giggling at a corner. Probably feeling our eyes on her, Nessie looked our way and gave a wave which I returned with a small smile.

"What about Charlie? He around yet?"

Jake opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by someone calling his name.

"Um, yeah I don't think dad's here yet. Or at least I haven't seen him. Uh, anyway I'll have to catch you guys later. Too much guests to entertain,"

"Yeah, it's cool,"

With one last smile, my brother left us to fulfill his…groom-ly duties.

"Well, then," I clapped my hands together. "Let's go get something to eat. I'm starved,"

Edward chuckled. "I see some waiters hovering with some hors d'oeuvres. Do you want any?"

"Uh…do they have any steaks or fried chicken instead?"

"I think we have to wait for dinner for that, love,"

"OH MY GOD! IT'S BELLA AND EDWARD!"

Both Edward and I turned to see a couple of teenagers openly gaping at us.

"Um, hi," I grinned a little weirdly.

"This is so unreal! Maggie, get the camera! What are you guys doing here?" The one in the overly short pink dress shook the girl with the long hair's arm in an attempt to get her to open her purse and search for the elusive camera faster.

I raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out how she couldn't know considering she was here. "I'm Jacob's sister,"

"No. Freaking. Way," Pink's other friend, Braces, looked even more shocked than before. "Vanessa never told us that!"

"I'm sure she has her reasons," Edward replied. It seemed like his voice made them swoon even more.

"Here! Here, I found it!" Long Hair was now waving her tiny, purple camera in the air. "Can we have a picture with you?"

We posed for a few pictures with them before I decided it was time to find new conversation partners since I didn't like how the three of them openly ogled and flirted with my fiancé.

The new one wasn't really any better, though.

"So you're a musician," Benjamin, Nessie's father, asked for about the fifth or sixth time since we've been talking to him. He was the owner of a small time business somewhere in Chicago and wasn't really on the more…liberal side of the perspective spectrum.

In simpler terms, he was a conservative old geezer who loved to compare the present with the past and always concluded that the past was better.

"Yes. We both are," I gestured to both Edward and I.

"And what kind of music do you exactly dwell in?"

"Err, rock,"

"Excuse me?"

"Rock. As in, you know…rock and roll?" How else do I explain that, anyway?

"With the electric guitars and the loud drums and all that noise?"

Noise? "Uh, sure,"

"I never understood how the youth of today can stand such," he huffed before taking a swig of his brandy. "Back when I was as young as you are, our music was golden!"

And thus began the endless droning about how his generation was better than ours. Well, in terms of music. Although I agreed on some of points – especially on how stupid the lyrics of pop music today are – I couldn't say the same when he was talking about New Moon's material.

Not to brag, but Edward was a _very _good song writer.

Thankfully, his speech (or monologue, really) was cut short by the arrival of the first course. While we ate, the other members of the table kept conversation alive. I suppose I wasn't surprised when the topic finally arrived to mine and Edward's engagement.

"I don't think I can tell you enough, man. You have got balls of steel," Jacob shook his head. "I thought you were kidding when you told me you'd propose in the middle of a concert,"

"I'm a man of my word," Edward smirked.

"It was so romantic," Nessie sighed. "And really sweet, too,"

"Are you saying _my _proposal wasn't romantic and sweet?" Jake asked her in mock offense.

Nes rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up. That's not what I meant,"

"Did you set a date yet?" Tia turned to me. Though she was being all polite and nice to me now, I still couldn't forget how we first met.

"We decided on the – "

"God, sorry we're late," Charlie huffed as he sat on the chair next to me. "Traffic was unbelievable!"

"And girls just can't seem to leave the house without make up. What the hell is up with that? They look fine without them!" Seth grumbled, plopping himself on a nearby chair.

"It's good to see you guys, too," Jacob grinned, amused.

"Oh, right. Uh, hi son," Charlie gave him an awkward back pat.

"Congrats, dude," Seth reached over and gave him a handshake.

"Where are Sue and Leah?" Edward asked, noticing that both women weren't present.

Seth snorted. "Where else? In the bathroom, touching up their lipstick or some shit,"

Seth continued to complain about his mother and sister even when they already joined us at the table. Sue simply waved her son off and Leah launched into her piece about the importance of looking presentable. Though I still wasn't feeling her attitude, the table was fun. It felt good to be with everyone in my family, blood related or not.

Well, almost everyone.

I didn't see Renee when we arrived and I never saw her throughout the course of dinner. I wondered if Jake even invited her. Wait, that was stupid. Of course he invited her. She'd be outraged if she was excluded in the festivities.

So where was she?

Meh. Do I even really want to know? For sure, drama's the only thing that's going to go down when she and I end up in the same room together. Maybe it's for the best that she's not here. Jacob didn't seem upset about it, anyway.

The sound of annoying giggling broke me out of my mental musings and I looked to my right to see Pink, Long Hair and Braces whispering to each other and stealing glances at Edward.

_Heinako. _

"Hey, Ness. Who are those girls, exactly?" I jerked my head in their direction.

"Hm? Oh. They're my cousins' kids," she began to tell me their names but all I'd ever really see them as would be the names I came up with in my head.

"They're kinda getting on my nerves," Leah muttered as she took a small bite of cake so as not to ruin her glistening ruby red lips.

Well, at least Leah and I could agree on s_omething._

The toasts came next and it seemed like everyone had something to say to the happy couple. When it came to my turn, I kept it short and simple but I still ended up crying by the time I raised my still full flute of champagne.

By ten thirty, the party was finally over. I was already feeling sleepy and was leaning heavily on Edward as we exited the reception hall after saying goodbye to Jacob and Nessie.

"Are we near the elevator?" I asked-yawned. We were staying in the hotel until the wedding which was in two days.

Edward laughed lightly and pulled my closer. "Almost, love,"

"I had a good time tonight," I informed him. "But I'm still happy we don't have a rehearsal dinner for our own wedding. Having one seems to be pretty…stressful,"

"I think I'd have to agree. We don't have much wedding guests, though,"

"Yeah, but still,"

We stopped in front of the elevators and waited for it to arrive at our level. It seemed to be taking a while so I buried my face in Edward's neck and closed my eyes. I think I was asleep until I heard someone call my name.

"Isabella,"

At first I thought it was Edward but it didn't sound anything like his soft, velvet tone. Instead it was…cold, unfeeling yet still so familiar.

"Isabella,"

My eyes snapped open and I turned in Edward's arms to come face to face with, not so surprisingly, Renee.

"Mother," my eyes grew wider a bit. "Um…"

What do I say to her? _It's good to see you? _Well, that's an outright lie.

_What are you doing here? _Nah. I think it was pretty obvious why she was here. Well, no. Not really. Most probably she was here for Jacob's rehearsal dinner. But how come she never came inside?

While my brain tried to come up with any functional response, Edward had moved to face her as well and his arms tightened around me immediately. I took my eyes off of my mother for a second to look at him and saw that his jaw was clenched and his eyes were hard.

"You look healthy," Renee commented without any emotion. "And…happy,"

"I am," I replied, my tone neutral. "Really,"

"Yes, I believe you," she took a step closer and I almost took a step back. I wasn't trusting the situation at all.

"What do you want?" I could practically see the waves of protectiveness emanating from Edward.

Renee's grey eyes drifted from mine to him. "Is it wrong to speak to my daughter?"

"It is when every time you do, she just feels pain or misery and I'm not having that,"

Mother sighed. "I should feel insulted – "

"Yes, you should,"

This time, she glared at Edward. "As I was saying, I should feel insulted that you'd say such things, but I don't. In fact, I'm happy you love my daughter enough to protect her,"

I blinked in surprise.

_Did she really just say that?_

Edward didn't say anything and Renee continued. "I know you both see me as a heartless bitch who doesn't care for anyone else besides herself and to some extent, you're correct. But I still am a mother who cares for her children though I know I've never given you reason to believe that,"

She paused to take a deep breath. "Isabella, I've come to talk to you to apologize,"

"Why?" I blurted. "Why now?"

"Your brother called me a few days ago," she explained. "He said that though I was sent an invite to his wedding and his gathering tonight, I shouldn't attend either if I didn't learn to…respect you and if I didn't plan on saying I was sorry,"

"Wait, so you're telling me that the only reason why you're even bothering to do this is because _Jacob _told you so?" 

"No, that's not the only reason. You're my daughter, Isabella. I love you,"

Everything about her was unreadable. Face, voice, posture…I couldn't tell if she was being sincere or not.

So, I just kept my mouth shut. I didn't know what to say, anyway.

Renee seemed to sense that and just nodded. We stood there like that for what seemed like a long time – Edward, tense and holding me to him, my mother, cold and impassive, and me, confused and speechless.

The familiar _ding _of the elevator broke the silence and the metal doors opened.

"Well," she cleared her throat. "I've said what I was supposed to say. Goodbye, Isabella," and with that, she turned on her heel and walked away.

Edward's hold on me didn't falter even as we ascended to our room on the twenty-second floor. He didn't say anything and the quietness carried on even as we got ready for bed.

However, by the time we were lying side by side, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Bella? Baby, please. Talk to me," he pleaded, his hands holding my face. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I…it's just…" I couldn't appropriately describe how I was doing so I just did what I've been prone to doing these days.

I cried.

"Shh, it's alright. I've got you," Edward mumbled into my hair while his large hands rubbed up and down my back soothingly.

"I can't even," I hiccupped against his chest. "I…I don't understand,"

"It's okay," he assured me. "You don't have to think about any of that right now,"

He was right. I didn't have to think about what happened but I couldn't help it. My mind seemed to be working overtime analyzing the situation as my eyes continued to pour salt water all over Edward's shirt.

Renee said she was sorry and that she loved me but at the same time, she admitted that Jacob was why she suddenly had a change of heart. Doesn't that mean that she didn't mean any of her words at all?

The thought of that hurts but I told myself that it doesn't matter.

Despite not being what I needed her to be, she was still my mother and deep inside my heart I still loved her. So even if her apology wasn't heartfelt and she was just mechanically saying the words, I decided that I forgive her.

Renee is family and you always care for and stand by your family even when they make mistakes. I wasn't very religious but spending time with my grandmother and her Bible when I was younger taught me many important things, one of them being _do unto others what you want others to do unto you._

What if I ended up being a horrible mother to my own child and he grew to resent me?

Wouldn't I want him or her to forgive me too?

And with that final thought, I shed my last tear for my mother.

**I'm late.**

**Typhoon in the Philippines. **

**Black outs.**


	32. Chapter 32

"Shut up!"

"Bella, it's not good for you to move around so much,"

"Then tell that asshole to can it with the laughing before I knee him in the balls!'

"Oh, come on, Bells. Don't be such a spoil sport. This shit is hilarious!"

I leveled Emmett a glare.

"Emmett, there is nothing remotely funny about my wife spraining her ankle," Edward scolded him in my defense but I saw his lips twitch, signaling that he was ready to burst into a round of hysterical guffawing himself.

"Wife, huh. Aren't you excited. The wedding's not for like, three days," Emmett snorted.

Yes, that's right. I've sprained my ankle days before a ceremony wherein I was required to do walking. Leave it to Bella Swan to do something as stupid as that.

Good news is I now have a very valid excuse not to wear those horrible white deathtraps called heels. The doctor said that the sprain wasn't severe but I should still lay off wearing painful shoes for a while. Maybe I'll even go barefoot.

"She's already my wife in every sense of the word," Edward shrugged. "All we need are the papers and the ceremony to make it official,"

He was about to continue speaking but was interrupted by more of Emmett's boisterous laughter.

"Will you just get over it already?" I groaned, lying down and covering my face with a pillow.

"No way, sister. You going apeshit on a fan girl – and in _public,_no less – is something I am _never_going to find hilarious. Look, Perez Hilton has it in his site already!"

He forcefully yanked the pillow out of my grip and forced me to look at his stupid laptop where I was exposed to the world in all my angry glory. Now that I was looking at the whole scene from a third person's perspective, I guess I can admit that it w_as_sorta funny; Edward was holding me back while I yelled and screamed at some floozy who was flirting _waaay_too much with him.

My mouth contorted to a smirk...then quickly went back to a glare after I noticed the signature white markings on the pictures that basically made me out to be a deranged lunatic.

Meh. At least the paps never really got the shot of me stumbling to the ground and spraining my ankle.

"Perez Hilton's a dick," I announced. "Someone should go kick that ham in the gut,"

"Ham?" Edward turned to me with an amused expression.

"Fuck yes, ham!" I all but shouted. "Have you _seen_how his face looks?

"He's lucky I don't meet him in person," I grumbled, the ice beneath my foot crunching when I moved it.

"I'll pull off a Will. faster than he can fake-compliment my hair,"

"I like angry, hormonal Bella," Emmett grinned. "She's very entertaining,"

Edward chuckled and leaned over to kiss me on the forehead. "That, I have to agree with,"

Emmett yawned and stretched his arms above his head. "Well, I'd hate to leave you losers by yourselves with nothing to do but I'm going to bed. I'm sure Rose and the others are back, anyway,"

Alice and Rosalie were working through the final ramifications of my upcoming nuptials with Jasper as their chauffer and Bryce tagging along. They've been running around the city and god knows where else the past few days we've been in Forks thus leaving Rose's 'bored as fuck' – his words, not mine – boyfriend to hang out with us.

Once the big oaf was finally out of the door, I let out a deep breath and slumped against the pillows.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt?" Edward asked as he adjusted the pillow my bad foot was resting on.

"I'm fine," I assured him. "Stop worrying so much,"

"I can't _not_worry," he chuckled, rubbing my shin. "I'm not surprised this happened, though,"

I groaned. "I thought the riot was over now that Emmett left,"

"It is, it is," he quickly promised. "Anyway, to be completely honest, I think what you did was hot as hell,"

"You thought me almost ripping a girl to shreds for asking you to sign her boobs – which are totally fake, by the way – was sexy?" I snorted. "Yeah, okay,"

"Mm-hm," he hummed in response as his lips attached themselves to my neck and began leaving hot, open-mouth kisses. "Very, very sexy,"

His hands didn't waste any time; one was already on the seam of my jeans, unbuttoning and unzipping while the other ascended up my shirt.

"Does your ankle hurt?" he murmured as my bra was suddenly on the floor.

_What ankle?_"Nope," my fingers did their best to free him from the confines of his shirt.

"Good,"

It took about five seconds flat for both of us to be completely naked and two more for Edward to be completely buried inside me.

"I love you," he whispered before brushing his lips with mine as we both came down from our high minutes later.

"You too, little guy," he brought his lips to my stomach and kissed the small baby bump there. It wasn't really noticeable when I wore clothes but when I was naked, you can definitely make out the small protrusion.

"What do you think he or she would look like?" I wondered aloud as Edward settled himself next to me and pulled me into his arms.

"I hope he gets your hair," he said.

My eyebrows scrunched up a little. "Really? Don't you think it would be better if our kid had your bronze locks?"

I felt him shrug. "I'm not so concerned about the color as much as the texture. If we get a girl and she inherits _this_chaos on top of her head, we're going to be spending a fortune on hair relaxing treatments once she turns into a teenager,"

"Touché," I laughed lightly. "Your hair's really soft, though, just a bit unruly," I ran my hand through them and they slipped easily between my fingers.

"Okay, maybe texture was the wrong term," he conceded. "But like you said, it's unruly. Totally uncontrollable, unless of course if she uses gel which I doubt she'd want to,"

We talked more about the baby as the night grew later and until Edward fell asleep. I, however, was still wide awake despite my efforts to join him in dreamland.

I never really had any more insomnia problems the past few days since I've been so tired with contributing to my wedding as much as Alice would allow me. My dress had to be adjusted a bit to accommodate Baby C's more apparent-ness (my dress was _that_tight) then there were cake tastings (my favorite part), settling on a good seat plan for the reception, approving menus and all that jazz.

But today, I basically did nothing and spent the day with Edward so I wasn't feeling so beat. I was feeling pretty hungry, though.

"C'mon, buddy. Let's go get something to eat," I murmured while rubbing my stomach and releasing myself from the confines of Edward's arms.

Lately, my cravings were more for grilled meat. Give me any kind of beef, pork or chicken smothered in decent barbecue sauce and tossed into an open fire and I will love you forever.

And so that was the reason why our hotel refrigerator was currently filled with take-out ribs.

I heated a couple of slabs in the microwave then settled myself on the floor by the foot of the bed. Forks didn't have much – or any, really – high end hotels so we were staying in a simple two-room suite with only one television. I didn't mind, though. Better we stayed somewhere near the chapel than to have to drive how many hours from Port Angeles.

It was around eleven thirty and I wondered if there were any good shows on. After flipping through about three, I finally settled on some channel that was playing a _Harry Potter_flick.

I tried to be quiet while I tackled rib after rib but apparently, I was a failure since I heard Edward wake up after some time.

"Bella? Where are you?" his speech was still a bit garbled from sleep.

"Down here," I called, licking my fingers. "Sorry, I got hungry,"

"I can see that," he crawled over to the foot of the bed and placed a kiss on top of my head.

"You can go back to bed. I'll try to be more silent," I told him as he stumbled off the mattress, put on his boxers and settled himself next to me on the carpet.

"It's okay," he yawned. "What are you watching?"

"_Harry Potter,"_

"What number?"

"Uh, the fourth one I think," I focused back on the screen. "The one with the Tri-wizard tournament,"

"Ah. Why are you watching this, by the way?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. It was the only good thing on at this hour,"

The two of us continued to watch a bunch of kids battle dragons and engage in whatever adolescent drama was going on for a while until Edward spoke again.

"That guy looks familiar," he declared. "I've seen him somewhere before,"

"Who? Cedric?" I asked. "Sure you've seen him before. The dude who played him is the same one who's playing Thomas,"

"Thomas. As in, _Midnight Sun_Thomas?"

"Yeah," I raised my eyebrow a little. We just watched the advanced screening of the movie a couple of weeks ago. Edward usually had better memory than this.

"Really?" he didn't sound convinced. "They don't look like the same person to me,"

"Well of course he had to grow up. This came out how many years ago. He looks handsome even back then, though," I nodded. No use in denying the fact that Cedric Diggory was a good looking wizard.

Edward snorted. "Really, Bella? A child?"

I rolled my eyes. "Please. He has to be at least seventeen,"

"Not even of legal age," he shook his head.

I couldn't help it; I had to laugh. He was sounding so ridiculous.

"Would you rather I go for Thomas, then?" I teased.

"At least he's older,"

"Isn't he stuck as a seventeen-year-old forever?"

"Technically, he's more than a century old,"

"So you'd rather I pick a vampire over a wizard,"

"No, I'd rather you pick me," he placed his hands on my waist and pulled me so I was straddling his lap.

"Silly man. I already did,"

Edward smirked then pressed his lips to mine. It started off as a chaste kiss but slowly became more and more heated. Before long, our tongues were doing the tango and I was grinding against his very prominent erection.

Let's just say it was a good thing I already finished my ribs. Otherwise, both of us would've been covered in barbecue sauce from all the…playing on the floor we did.

The next day, we were all over at Charlie's house getting ready for the rehearsal dinner.

You heard me right. Rehearsal dinner. Alice managed to convince me to host a very informal one just for the sake of socializing with the wedding guests again before the big day. At least it wasn't going to be any big, flashy and _pink_production like that of my brother's. It was just going to be a simple get together in my father's place.

"You guys are setting up the grill, right?" I asked Charlie as he, Seth and Emmett arranged some patio furniture we found in the garage.

"Yeah, I just have to find where I placed it," he huffed in reply as he set a chair down. "Jeez, Alice. We've been lifting these things for half an hour now. How 'bout a break?"

"But Mr. Swan, there's still so much to do!" Alice placed her hands on her hips. I didn't know why she even bothered calling my dad 'Mr. Swan.' I guess she was going for politeness but with all the bossiness she had going on I didn't see the point.

"Is she always like this?" Charlie asked Emmett who just laughed.

"All the time, my friend. All the time,"

I went back inside the house and plopped down on the sofa next to Edward. He was on the phone but still wrapped an arm around me and kissed me on the temple.

"Alright, I'll see you in a few, then. Bye,"

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Carlisle. He and Esme are on their way to Forks,"

Despite my future mother-in-law's sudden switch in attitude, I have to admit I still feel a bit…weird around her, like I don't know how to act. On one hand, it was a good thing she wasn't like her old self – evil, conniving and an absolute witch but on the other, I felt like I couldn't trust her since it's very probable that her attitude towards me was all fake.

Meh. Lesser of two evils, I guess, especially considering the fact that my eggo got preggo.

"Will they be able to make it to the party tonight?"

"Carlisle doesn't have a license for the States so they'll probably hire a driver but I suppose we'll just wait and see. He doesn't think they'll be here on time, though, especially with 'blasted American traffic,'" he used air quotes.

A couple of hours later, it became apparent that American traffic really was blasted since my future in-laws arrived about two hours after the festivities began.

"I don't know how you manage to punctual in this country," Esme grumbled rather loudly as she took off her coat. "And what is with the endless rain! It isn't this severe in London!"

"Is that her?" Sue whispered to me, gripping my arm. "Edward's mother?"

"Heh. Yep. That's her," I confirmed with a swig of orange juice.

Sue eyed her from head to toe before she smirked. "Well. I haven't met the woman yet but judging from her attitude, I can see why you don't like her,"

Before the guests arrived, I filled the Swan family in on who would be entering their house. Some of them were my blood relatives or childhood pals so they already knew them and others were a handful of celebrity friends that they've already seen on TV which meant that they had some idea about who they are and what they do.

However, when it came to the future in-laws, Charlie and Sue didn't really have a clue until I filled them in. Somehow, I spilled everything from the horrible first meetings to being treated like crap during Edward's cyst situation so they knew how the Cullens worked.

"Is she still being a bitch you?" Sue asked as she watched Esme give Edward one of those air hug things society women liked to do with their friends.

"Nah. Ever since she found out I was pregnant, she's been the epitome of the perfect, supportive mother-in-law,"

"Bella, darling!"

"Oh, uh, hey Esme," I plastered a smile on my face and received her 'embrace.'

"Look at you. You're absolutely glowing! Pregnancy looks very good on you,"

"Thank you,"

"And you must be Susan. Edward's told me about you," she turned to Sue then proceeded to give her air kisses.

I was a little surprised when Sue returned the action and soon, they were chatting good-naturedly. I was really beginning to think that maybe they could be friends or something but then Esme started commenting on how tiny the house is. Sue's friendly look disappeared in a second.

I chuckled to myself as I walked away, leaving my pseudo step mother to give a lecture about the advantages of living in a simple house.

"There's my lovely fiancée," Edward grinned as I approached him at the other side of the living room. He placed an arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to his side.

"Hi," I leaned on my toes and kissed him on the cheek. "Enjoying the party?"

"Sure," he replied. "I like your friends. They've been telling me about your escapades as a teenager and I must say, you sounded like a riot,"

I groaned and buried my face in his shoulder. "Who did you talk to?"

"Paul and Embry. Actually, they just went to get a couple more beers. Apparently, there are more adventures of Bella to be told,"

He wasn't lying. About two seconds later, two of my old friends were back – still tall and muscular as they were when we were sixteen – and after exchanging pleasantries with me, excitedly informed Edward of just about every single embarrassing experience I had.

It was a good thing the whole event wasn't formal. Otherwise, they'd be making toasts and announcing to every single person in attendance what they were telling my future husband now. It was bad enough he had to know.

As much as it was fun catching up with old friends and pigging out on my dad's barbecue chicken, we had to cut the shindig short because I was feeling tired. I've been up since seven thirty in the morning thanks to an overly enthusiastic Alice.

The next two days seemed to be a blur of final touches and ramifications and before I knew it, I was waking up alone on the day of my wedding.

While Edward and I had refused to have bachelor and bachelorette parties, Sue and Esme still insisted that we carry on the tradition of not seeing each other twenty four hours before the actual event.

It was kinda lonely going to bed last night since it sort of reminded me of the long years of me being single but all I had to do was tell myself that I was pregnant and getting hitched to the man of my dreams and I was out like a light.

I glanced at the digital clock on the night stand and saw that it was nine AM. I yawned and settled myself back on the pillow. The ceremony wasn't until twilight so that I meant I could still sleep for a couple of hours…

A loud, obnoxious banging had me awake in an instant. I turned my head and glared at the wall.

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what?'?! Open the door! It's time to get ready!"

Groaning, I forced myself off the mattress and swung the door open to reveal my impatient and agitated wedding planner.

"Alice, it's still so early," I yawned as I followed her to the small dresser.

"Early? Bella, we still have so much to do! We have to get your hair done, make-up, not to mention the photographs – "

"Okay, okay, I get it," I narrowed my eyes at her and plopped down on the bed. "Did you at least bring food?"

"It's on its way up,"

At least there was _some_good news. I was starving.

After devouring everything that was set in front of me, Rosalie, Sue, Leah and Nessie joined us together with the hair and make-up people. They got to work as soon as they managed to drag me in front of the mirror.

"Esme's not joining us?" Rosalie asked as she looked around the room.

"Nope," Alice said. "She prefers to prepare with her own team of professionals back at their hotel, apparently,"

"What? Why?" Sue protested. "Her look can end up looking totally inconsistent with the whole theme!"

"Don't worry about it," Alice patted her on the shoulder. "I talked to her people yesterday and made it _very_clear that the mother-in-law is not to outshine the bride,"

The six of us chatted about everything and nothing at the same time as we got primped and ready for the ceremony. I guess I could see why we had to start getting ready first thing in the morning. There really _was_so much to do.

"Are you nervous?" Nessie asked me as another hair curler was added on top of her head.

Surprisingly, I wasn't. But that was probably because I was putting off the panic for later. That's what I always did before shows and I told her so.

Sue gave an amused smile. "You're comparing your wedding to performing on stage?"

"Only this is the most important performance I'll ever have to give," I grinned.

"You're lucky you can keep your composure. I felt like I was going to throw up!" my sister-in-law admitted.

"Really? You didn't look anything less than calm," Hell, she was the poster girl for happy and collected while she waited for her turn to walk down the aisle.

"Not the church wedding," she shook her head. "The first one. In Vegas,"

"Oh," I forgot she and Jacob eloped.

"Yeah,"

"We had the same experience, dear," Sue patted her hand. "Before I had to start walking, I was shaking so hard and gripping my father's arm so tightly I think it went numb,"

"I was really excited for mine," Alice shared.

Rosalie snorted. "Excited. More like high on crack. The freak wouldn't stop bouncing all over the place!"

"At least I wasn't crying my eyes out or anything. That would've been worse,"

The more they talked about their experiences as brides, the more the idea sunk in for me. Well, the idea of getting married had already lost its nervous novelty weeks ago but it was just now that I was beginning to fully realize that I was going to be a wife.

And not just any wife. Edward Cullen's wife.

_Holy schmeck._

I was going to be a mother, too but I didn't think the nerves for that were going to set in until more tangible evidence of our love child growing inside would be present.

My phone vibrating on the table managed to snap me out of my thoughts. At first I thought it was a text from Edward but after looking at the screen, it turned out to be one from my dad.

_We hav a situation._

My forehead creased immediately.

_Wat's up?_

Instead of replying, Charlie just called.

"Dad, what's going on?" I asked as soon as I picked up.

He sighed before answering. "It's your mother, Bells,"

"Renee?!" my eyes widened as seven pairs of eyes suddenly looked over to me in surprise. "What about her?"

"She's…asking permission to come up there,"

"Did she say why?"

"Er, she says she just wanted to see you,"

Almost immediately, I said "Okay. Where is she?"

"Down at the lobby,"

"Does she know what room I'm in?"

"No, but I can tell her,"

"Alright. I'll just…wait here, then,"

I was jittery while I waited for Renee's fateful knock. I know it seems ridiculous that I was relatively placid about the most important day of my life but was a nervous wreck when my own mother was on her way up to see me but in my mind, it sort of made sense.

I mean almost every time we spoke, my overly emotional and hormonal self emerged, turned on the water works and made me feel sad. I didn't want that to happen on what was supposed to be a happy day.

I jumped when I finally heard the gentle tapping against the wooden door. Rosalie wordlessly stood up and opened it for me while I braced myself for what was to come.

But still, no amount of preparation made me expect what happened next.

The second Renee spotted me, she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tight. It was a little awkward since I was half standing and half sitting but I couldn't bring myself to notice that much.

Instead, I wrapped my arms around her too and buried my face in her shoulder. It felt too nice not to.

My mother was never really one for hugs when we were children. She was more of the choleric type of parent – barely affectionate, strict, a perfectionist. All this time I've told myself that I wouldn't want her embraces anyway but now that I was in one, I couldn't deny the sense of comfort, the sense of…_acceptance_ only a mom could provide.

I felt like a kid again.

"I'm so sorry, Isabella," she murmured and I realized that she was actually _crying._I've never seen Renee cry before, not even when my grandma – her mother – died after I graduated high school.

"It's okay, mom," I rubbed her back. I was getting a little choked up myself and I knew I couldn't blame hormones on this one even if I wanted to.

She didn't say anything back but just continued to hug me. We stayed like that for an immeasurable amount of time before she finally pulled away.

"You look gorgeous," she whispered, wiping away the tears that streaked down my cheeks. It was a good thing I was wearing water proof make up; they must have anticipated tears today.

"Thanks,"

"And thank you for wanting me here. I have to say I wasn't expecting an invitation,"

I shrugged then offered something of an explanation. "You're my mom,"

"But I haven't acted like it," her tone was sad. "I know it's much to ask, but I hope you'll give me another chance,"

"Of course I would,"

"I hope you'll allow me to be a part of my grandchild's life as well," Renee gently patted my stomach.

And that did it for me. The water works began again.

They were definitely happy tears, though. My baby was going to have two grandmothers now.

Things were finally falling into place.

After some time, Rosalie, Sue and the others emerged from the sitting room in front. I haven't even noticed they left the room. I cleared everything up and told them that everything was okay and before long, we were back to wedding prep, this time with my mother joining us.

"Now for the dress!" Alice squealed happily as she dashed to the other side of the room where my garment bag was hanging. "This is my favorite part!"

It was kind of a pain in the ass putting the thing on. Sure, it looked great and fit me like a glove but it was just so form fitting that I was afraid I was going to rip something.

"It looks perfect on you!" Nessie clapped her hands. Very Alice-esque. "Edward is going to have a heart attack,"

"Wait till he sees the honeymoon lingerie," Rosalie snickered. "He'll die for sure,"

I blushed as they continue to laugh at my expense.

"Hardy-har-har. Aren't you supposed to get dressed, too?" I jutted my thumb towards the other dresses hanging on the rack.

"Be quiet and let us admire you longer,"

Fortunately, that only entailed about five more seconds since according to my ever time conscious wedding planner, we were behind schedule.

By around four-thirty, we were on our way to the chapel.

"I can't believe the paps aren't chasing us or anything," Leah stated in disbelief as she looked out the window. "Don't they usually hound you?"

"That's the beauty of having your father as the chief of police," I said. "Forks is probably the most paparazzi-free place in the US right now,"

I wasn't kidding. Charlie practically made the entire police force participate in making sure that our privacy was to be kept for the wedding day.

"Are people saying anything about the wedding?" I asked no one in particular.

"Sure. There's a lot of speculation that you're getting married in Forks since you and Edward were seen here a few days ago and a couple of your well-known friends flew here but others are saying that you've already tied the knot weeks ago in LA,"

"What about pregnancy rumors?"

"Of course. Don't things like those always come out every week?" Rosalie answered. "I think you've had about twenty children now, according to 'sources' from those trash magazines,"

"You mean the same sources who claim that Edward had dumped Bella, Bella cheated on Edward, Edward cheated on Bella, New Moon was breaking up and just about every other lie you can come up with when it comes to celebrities?"

"The very same,"

I chuckled. Any type of gossip media outlet was really such a stupid source of information.

We arrived at the chapel fifteen minutes later and I barely caught sight of how the place was decorated before I was ushered into a small room where I was to wait until it was time for the ceremony.

I felt like I was back in the green room, waiting anxiously for the stage manager to give the cue for me to get out and rock the stage.

Except instead of a stage, I'll be going to an altar and instead of a guitar, I'll be carrying a bouquet.

_Shit, this was seriously happening!_

"Bella, will you stay still? I'm going to smudge the mascara!"

"Sorry," I muttered, trying not to move so much so Alice can touch up my make-up.

"Relax," Renee pinned back some locks of hair that had escaped the twist it was placed in. "Take deep breaths,"

"Don't you have some sort of calming ritual before shows?" Leah asked.

"Not really," I admitted. "The rest of the band has some though. Jasper always does weird squats which I clearly can't do with this," I tugged at the material of my gown. "Emmett practically deafens himself with music and Edward usually just paces a lot,"

I wondered if he was pacing right now.

Knowing him, he probably was. Maybe even pulling his hair until it looked like he stuck his finger into a socket, too.

I stayed in that room until Charlie appeared in his tux – the first time I've seen the chief wear one – and offered me his arm.

It was time.

My heartbeat was thundering in my ears and I was wobbling a bit despite the fact that I was already in flats.

"Easy, kid," he patted my hand.

"Don't let me fall, dad," I whispered.

"Wouldn't dream of it,"

Soon, the familiar sounds of the wedding march came floating in and my accelerated heartbeat accelerated even more if it were possible. My feet slowly carried me forward as Alice then Rosalie made their way down the aisle.

In a matter of what seemed like seconds, it was my turn.

Despite my clear internal spazzing out, my face broke out into a smile as soon as everything hit me at once. The smell of the flowers, the smiles of the guests, even the distinct sound of rain drops falling onto the chapel roof.

My smile grew even more as soon as I saw who was waiting for me at the altar.

Edward was hot. No, seriously. Like, inferno hot. I didn't know if it was my perverted brain working overtime, my preggo hormones or both, but the moment I saw his handsome self looking at me with so much love and adoration, all I wanted to do was to sprint down the aisle and jump his bones right then and there.

It was a good thing Charlie had a good hold on me.

After what seemed like forever, we finally reached our destination and my hands were in Edward's.

I knew I should really be listening to what the priest was saying but I couldn't concentrate on anyone or anything but Edward. I didn't know how I came up so lucky. Here this man was promising to love me forever no matter what happened and to support me come hell and high water.

What else could a girl ask for?

Nothing. I had all that I wanted right in front of me so I willingly threw my arms around Edward and kissed him for all I was worth as soon as the words 'you may kiss the bride' left the priest's lips.


	33. Chapter 33

The wedding flowed right into the reception seamlessly thanks to Alice's planning which was good since I was positively starving. After finally sharing our 'I do's' and kissing the hell out of my husband, my thoughts reverted back to satisfying me and my hungry child.

_Hang in there, buddy_, I rubbed my tummy as my cousin Maria walked away from our table after sharing a few pleasantries. _These people would run out eventually._

I looked at the line that had formed and almost groaned. As much as our guest list had been short, practically everyone we invited was standing there, waiting to congratulate the happy couple.

My stomach was not pleased.

"I'm so happy for you!" Bernie enveloped me in a hug when it was her turn. "And you look a-mazing, by the way,"

"Must be because my dress looks amazing," I smiled at her. "Thanks again for designing it,"

"No problem," she smiled. "That counts as your wedding gift, though,"

"Well, I personally love it. Thank you," Edward grinned as his fingers lightly made circles on the exposed skin on my back.

"I'm sure that won't be your favorite part, though," Bernie continued with an impish smile. "Didn't Alice mention that I designed your honeymoon lingerie as well?"

If I was drinking anything, for sure it would be out of my mouth (and possibly my nose) and all over Jasper's sister and the floor now for sure.

"Y-You did?"

"Yep," her grin turned smug. "Alice wanted some specific things so she had me custom design a couple. They're going to look so hot on you, Bella. My own husband said so himself and even asked me to make some for myself,"

"Looks like I owe you more than I thought, then," Edward replied with a laugh while I blushed.

Fortunately, none of the other guests brought up the honeymoon and we got through them soon enough. Dinner was served shortly and I was glad it was an eat-all-you-can because I'd be demanding seconds, thirds and fourths if they just gave us set plates.

"Is it normal for her to be chowing down so much?" Seth's tone was incredulous as I polished off another plate.

"Weren't you paying attention to how much she ate when she came over?" Charlie chortled. "This is normal Bella behavior,"

"And with the pregnancy and all, an increase in appetite is expected," Sue added.

"Yeah, but…" Seth stalled as he thought of a good way to phrase his thoughts. "She eats more than I do, man,"

"And she doesn't even seem to get fat," Leah almost sounded disgusted.

"Joys of having the world's fastest metabolism," I joked though I did wonder how I could eat a feast for an army and still not gain any weight. I don't exercise so that's clearly not where all my energy's going but then again, I _have_been having sex a lot lately.

Losing calories through intercourse. Nice.

"Where are you going for your honeymoon?" Nessie asked excitedly.

"I honestly have no idea," I replied. "Edward and Alice wouldn't tell me anything,"

"It's a surprise," Alice repeated the same answer he'd been giving me after all the times I've asked her the same question before.

"You'll love it, though," Edward assured me.

"I'm sure I will," I grinned then leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "I love you, husband,"

"I love you too, wife,"

"You two are so cute!" Sue squealed before turning to my father. "Oh, Charlie. Do you remember how that was us when we first started dating?"

Renee cleared her throat and downed another flute of champagne. I was suddenly reminded that I placed my mother, father and his girlfriend in the same table. To be honest, I didn't think that could get awkward. Probably because I was too caught up in my nervousness and desire to jump Edward. Anyway, back at the church and even before that, they both seemed okay with each other's company.

Now, not so much.

Charlie scratched the back of his head and sat up straighter in his seat at the same time Esme jumped in with a new topic.

"What about your living situation, by the way? I meant what I said about your current place of residence, Edward. It's not a child-friendly environment," she said in a scolding tone.

"Yes, mother, I know," Edward looked like he really wanted to roll his eyes but didn't. "That's why I'm selling it,"

"You are?" Jasper's eyes widened. "Where are you guys going to be staying then? Bella's house?"

"Nah. It's not even my house anymore, actually. I gave it to Jake and Nessie as a wedding gift," I didn't see it as a loss. The two of them practically owned the place since I left for the tour and I've been staying with Edward at his apartment when I got back.

"So what's going to happen after you get back from the honeymoon?"

"We'll be moving into the new house," Edward stated matter-of-factly while everyone else looked surprised.

"You got a new house and didn't tell me?!" Alice exclaimed. "When did this happen?"

"A week ago or so, I guess," I shrugged. "We kinda did it on a whim,"

It was true. Before we came to Forks for the wedding, Edward and I were just lying in bed listening to music when he suddenly said "Hey, do you wanna look for our new house today?"

I said yes and before long, he was on the phone with a real estate agent who took us around available houses around Los Angeles a couple of days later. The third house we looked at was the winner. It wasn't that big but had a sturdy playground in the backyard, a homey kitchen, and a game room in the basement. All the essentials were there in my opinion and Edward couldn't agree more.

"Is it in a safe neighborhood?" Carlisle inquired. "With the lives you two live, it can't be good for your children to be thrust into the hands of nosy photographers and fans who wander around Los Angeles,"

"Don't worry, dad. It's in a good community, kinda hidden in the suburbs," Edward told him. "It's pretty far away from our studio and such but we don't mind the drive,"

"Plus it has a good preschool and elementary school nearby," I pointed out.

Discussion became about child-proofing the place and color schemes for the nursery or something like that until it was time for the usual wedding traditions to begin. Edward and I shoved cake into each other's faces and I tossed my bouquet only for it to land on the hands of, surprisingly, Renee.

We had toasts as well. Like Jacob's wedding, everyone seemed like they had something to say – advice for our sex lives from Emmett, a reminder for Edward to be a good husband because he knew 'how to shoot a gun' from Charlie, and the rest were messages of goodwill and happiness from different friends and family members.

Next came the part I was dreading: dancing. Edward was confident that his leading would be enough for the two of us but I wasn't as sure. And for good reason, it seemed.

"Sorry," I muttered for the nth time as my feet made contact with Edward's shoe. His toes were going to be bruised by the end of the night.

"It's okay," he responded with a chuckle. "Honestly, Bella. You aren't heavy. It doesn't hurt,"

"I'm seriously not cut out for dancing," I insisted as he pulled me closer.

"You're doing just fine. Would you be more willing to dance with me if we were being scored by a PS3?"

I laughed, laying my head on his chest. "Maybe,"

We continued to dance until Charlie tapped Edward's shoulder and took his turn with me. The two of us had about the same amount of dancing ability so we basically just swayed back and forth in one place.

Jacob had more rhythm in him – a fact he cockily proved by twirling me around on the dance floor. I was dizzy by the time he slowed down.

"Easy," I laughed a little as I tried to make my surroundings stop spinning.

"Sorry," he grinned, not sounding the least bit apologetic. "Just wanted to show you that not everyone in the Swan family has horrible dancing genes,"

"Yeah well, I got Charlie's and you got Renee's," I shrugged, looking over to my mother who was dancing flawlessly with Edward's Uncle Liam.

"I still can't believe you invited her," Jacob murmured.

"Why? She's still mom,"

"Yeah, but she wasn't exactly…"

"I know, I know," I sighed. "She wasn't mother of the year, but she still contributed a lot to my life. That has to count for something. Besides, she apologized before the ceremony,"

My brother's eyes widened. "She did?"

"Yep. Your niece of nephew's going to have both sets of grandparents now,"

"Nice," he approved with a big grin. We continued to sway in silence until he opened his mouth to speak again.

"You know, all your baby business has got me and Nessie thinking…" Jacob trailed off. He stopped moving as his expression turned more serious.

"Jake? What's wrong? What's going on?" I was starting to get a little concerned. His eyebrows were furrowed as he looked around our surroundings.

"Did you see that?"

"What?"

"There was…something. A flash. I dunno. Came from over there," he gestured towards the trees. A majority of the meadow where the reception was being held was surrounded by a forest.

I looked over to where he pointed but could see nothing but darkness. "I don't see anything,"

"Huh. I was positive I saw – see! There it is again!" he exclaimed and this time, I saw what he was talking about.

"What the hell was that?"

"The hell if I know. What could possibly…I mean, it's not like we have light bulbs through there. The only thing I can think of that can cause something like that is a camera. Aw, shit," I muttered. "Paparazzi?"

"It's possible. Did that seem like a camera flash to you?"

"Uh, I don't know. It could be, though,"

"Go find Edward," Jacob commanded, releasing me. "I'll talk to your security guy,"

As fast as my tight gown would allow me, I did my best to weave through the throngs of people on the dance floor to get to Edward. I found him laughing with Jasper and Emmett by our table.

"Houston, we have a problem," I declared as soon as they were within earshot.

"What's going on?" Edward tensed immediately as he wrapped his arms around me.

"It's not really…big, don't worry," I assured him. "Jacob just thinks that there might be reporters and such hiding out in the forest taking pictures,"

"What makes him think that?" Jasper asked.

"We saw a flash of light from the trees," I shrugged. "I dunno. Cameras seem to be the only logical explanation for that. Though those photographers are dumb as shit for using those in the middle of the night,"

"Damn," Emmett muttered. "I thought your dad made sure there weren't any paps around for this,"

"I thought so, too but you know. Shit happens," I sighed.

"Would you like to get out of here?" Edward asked. He looked at his watch and nodded. "The reception's been going on for a reasonably long time. It won't be surprising if we decide to leave for the honeymoon now,"

"But I haven't even danced with so many people. Seth, my friends…"

"You're seriously picking _dancing_over your honeymoon,"

Now that he mentioned it, that _did_sound totally un-Bella. And pretty stupid. "Yeah, okay, point taken. Let's get out of here, husband,"

"With pleasure, wife,"

After talking to Alice and announcing to everyone that it was time for the newlyweds to jet off to…wherever, I was given a new set of clothes and instructed to change into them. Apparently, my wedding dress was not conducive to the type of travel we would be employing.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?" I asked hopefully as soon as I was buckled into my seat in Edward's Volvo.

"Uh, no," Edward laughed at my disgruntled expression. "Don't sweat it so much. You'll see the place soon enough,"

Apparently, 'soon enough' entailed about thirteen hours on a plane and then some. To say I was disoriented when we landed in Brazil was a huge understatement.

"We're staying in Rio?" I wondered aloud while we loaded our luggage unto the trunk of a taxi at the airport. My surroundings were dark and I wasn't sure if it was night time or early morning.

"Not quite," Edward replied and I wondered what he meant by that.

The taxi took us through the city as my consciousness was more firmly established. I finally registered that it was seven in the evening but I had no idea what date it was. I was about to ask Edward but then the taxi stopped at a dock with a long line of boats and small yachts.

"Come on," Edward held out his hand and pulled me through the row until we reached one near the end of the wooden strip. He got on and tossed our bags in before helping me get on as well.

"Let me guess. You know how to drive this too," my tone was only slightly teasing as I settled in my seat. It was kinda annoying how he could seem to do everything.

"Of course," he snorted cockily. "Do you see anyone else here who can drive this baby?"

"Mm-hm. I didn't know you owned a boat, though,"

"I don't. This is Carlisle's. We used to come here a lot when I was younger and he'd teach me how to drive it. He agreed to let us use it for the special occasion,"

That figured. Of course Papa Cullen owned a boat. The Cullen family seemed to own a little bit of everything.

"You know I don't think I've grasped exactly how ridiculously wealthy your family is," I crossed my legs as he began us out of the parking position we were in.

"_Our_family," he corrected. "And yeah, I guess you can say that we're pretty loaded. We came from a line of lesser known noblemen who didn't have anything better to do than to corrupt the money of the people. The whole wealth thing never had an appeal to me, though. I would've preferred to be part of a middle class family with my parents around a lot instead of having nannies and butlers practically raise me,"

"Yet another thing we have in common," I smiled.

"At least you grew up normally with Charlie and your brother,"

"Yeah, I was lucky that Renee decided to send me and Jacob to Forks. We stayed with her from when I was a toddler until I was like, ten, though,"

"Was she really that horrible?"

"Not _horrible…"_I drew the word out a bit. "But I have to say, she could've done better. She was just too controlling. Like you know how you're supposed to let kids learn from their own mistakes and let them have fun and what not? Well, my mother didn't really have that type of philosophy. We had so much rules about how many cookies to eat, how many hours we have to spend cleaning our rooms everyday…it was just ridiculous. Then, suddenly we get shipped to my dad who has no qualms about us dancing in the rain and plastering the backyard wall with mud and just…letting us be children. Quite a change in environment but a nice change nonetheless,"

"We'll be like that with our own kids," Edward promised with a smile, his hand patting my stomach lovingly.

We've been pretty wrapped up in our bubble that I hadn't noticed how far we were from Rio. And from any form of land, really. I have to admit, I was feeling a little panicky as I looked around and saw nothing but endless water.

"Uh, Edward? Where are we, exactly?"

"Relax. We're not lost," he didn't answer my question.

"Well, can you at least tell me where we're going, then? You've kept it a secret long enough, don't you think?"

I was hoping he was finally going to give in and tell me that we were going to the Bermuda Triangle (though logically I knew we were somewhere in the South Atlantic Ocean while that was further up north) or something but he still wouldn't budge.

"Are we close?" I tried a different approach.

"Yeah. Almost there,"

"Well, we can't be going to Africa then," I concluded. A thought came to me just then and I laughed since it sounded a little absurd.

"Maybe we're going to the Cullen family's private island. Complete with sandy white beaches, endless sunshine and diverse marine life," I chuckled, shaking my head.

I expected Edward to snort again or maybe laugh along with me and add more beach resort clichés but instead, all I got was silence. I looked over to him and saw that he was staring straight ahead.

I tried to interpret what his sudden seriousness was all about until it hit me.

"Oh my god, I'm right?!"

Edward sighed and finally nodded. My jaw dropped.

I take back the whole thing about not grasping how wealthy Edward's family was. I really, _really_haven't grasped how extremely, supremely and outrageously rich Edward's family was.

I mean, a private island? _Dayum, son._

"It's not really a big deal," Edward mumbled a little. "Carlisle got it from some charity auction. And it's a small island,"

"Small or not, that's still a pretty big thing to have," I said. "What's it called?"

"Isle Esme," he replied.

"Isle _Esme?"_I repeated.

"Yeah. Well, that wasn't what it was called originally. I'm not sure what the old name was but Carlisle won it, he gave it to Esme as a gift and so…Isle Esme,"

A gift. Who the hell gives an island as a _gift?_I mean, I knew Esme was into the finer things in life with all the grand mansions and shit, but lord. An island?

"Wait, she's okay with us spending the honeymoon there, right?" I clarified.

Edward chuckled. "Of course. Believe it or not, she actually _offered_to let us use it,"

"Wow," I blinked.

"I know, right? I think she's trying to show that she wants to make amends with you. She's not exactly the type to say she's sorry outright,"

"Damn straight," I laughed.

After spending another five minutes out on sea, we finally reached the dock of the island. I was kind of frozen on the boat, just looking at everything. A house with bright windows was nearby and behind it was vegetation which just seemed to stretch out for miles and miles.

"Bella?" Edward's voice pulled me out of my staring. "You coming, sweetheart?"

"Yeah," I shook my head slightly and joined him.

We walked together hand in hand – him carrying both our bags in the other without seeming to break any sweat – until we reached the front porch.

Before I could reach forward and open the door, I was suddenly lifted onto a pair of strong arms. I laughed loudly and wrapped my arms around Edward's neck to keep from falling.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm carrying my very sexy wife through the threshold,"

"Is this really necessary?"

"Like I said before, I'm nothing if not traditional," he leaned down and kissed me before I could come up with some kind of retort.

I moaned into his mouth as he continued to carry me throughout the house. I have no idea where we were exactly until he placed me on something soft and crawled between my legs.

"I'll be right back," he whispered right at my ear before leaving me hot and bothered in the room. I sat up slowly and took a look around. The bed I was on was _huge._I was pretty sure it was even bigger than a king sized mattress and I wasn't complaining about that bit at all.

Everything else was in a soft, downy white color which was wise considering that the place was really hot. Dark colors would just make the heat worse.

I was beginning to unbutton the shirt I was wearing to feel a little cooler when I heard a load throat clearing from the door way. I stopped my movements and looked up to see Edward staring at me like I was something to eat.

A low growl resonated from his chest as he unceremoniously placed the bags against the wall. Without a word, he was on top of me again, attacking my lips with his with much passion and want.

"Edward," I said his name breathily when his lips moved to my neck and his hands began to work on the button of my shorts. "Don't you want to…_nnnnh_…see the – _oh god –_lingerie?"

"Mm," he hummed. "Fine. I'll let you go. Just don't keep me waiting long, Mrs. Cullen,"

"Wouldn't dream of it," I exhaled, still having some difficulty in breathing. Edward got off me and helped me stand then proceeded to swat my ass.

"Did you seriously just spank me?" I turned to him in surprise.

"Hell yes," he smirked. "Expect a lot more of that for the entire time we're here,"

"Promise?" I gave my version of a seductive smile. It achieved its desired effect in the form of Edward's emerald eyes growing darker with lust.

"Go get changed," he practically growled. "And I expect you to continue that little strip tease act you started,"

Well, _that_was definitely enough to turn me on even more.

I gathered everything I needed and hurriedly locked myself in the bathroom. My hair was feeling pretty crusty from travel and sweat so a shower was a must. And shaving my legs. Yeah, that was beyond necessary.

I was in the middle of blow drying my hair when a random thought flew to my head. The lingerie Bernie designed was definitely on the more risqué side – even more risqué than the birthday gift Rosalie and Emmett gave me last year if you can believe that – with the obscenely high hemline, very see-through fabric and the sheer, crotch less panties.

Yes, you heard me right. _Crotch less._

So anyway, I figured with _that_level of exposure from the very beginning, maybe it would be wiser if I was completely bare down there. Rosalie wanted me to take a Brazilian wax before the wedding but it just seemed pretty useless and painful so I didn't agree.

I was kinda regretting that decision now.

I stared at myself in the mirror for a few seconds before muttering "ah, fuck it" and grabbing the razor from the small bag on the counter.

It was kind of…awkward, but I managed to do it. In the end, I think it worked out well and I did a clean, decent job. After putting on the lingerie, I could finally appreciate the fruits of my labor. Even I can admit I looked sexy.

I tousled my hair over my shoulder for the tenth time and took a deep breath. Time to see what Edward thought.

I opened the door slowly and poked my head out. The lights in the bedroom have dimmed considerably and I found a shirtless Edward facing away from me, tinkering with something attached to the wall.

"Edward?"

"In a sec," he replied, still not turning around. "The temperature in here is _way_too much for me to handle and the air conditioning's not working. I'm trying to get the ceiling fan to work but I can't seem to…"

He stopped talking as soon as his eyes landed on me. If I thought he looked feral before, now he looked like he was ready to pounce and eat me alive.

Without another word, he swiftly crossed the room to where I was standing then all but shoved his tongue down my throat. The hands that were roaming my ass were now lifting me up and I automatically wrapped my legs around his toned torso.

"Edward, please," I whimpered, feeling Big Eddie get really, _really_hard.

"You don't have to beg," he dropped me on the bed then spread my legs wide. "Ever,"

To say that the activities we engaged in seconds later was…fun would be a majory understatement. It was probably the best sex of my life and that was definitely saying something. We ended up being a heap of sweaty but very satisfied bodies afterwards.

The only sounds were that of the waves, leaves swaying in the warm breeze and of our still ragged breathing for a while until I had the energy to speak again.

"I thought I was supposed to do a strip tease for you or something," I smiled teasingly.

Edward lifted his head from my neck and gave me a seductive grin of his own.

"You still are. I don't recall saying we were done,"


	34. Chapter 34

"Edward. Psst. Yo Edward,"

"Mm?"

"You know what sounds really good right now?"

"What?"

"An egg sandwich,"

The mattress moved a bit underneath me until Edward sat up on the edge of his side of the bed. With a yawn and a long stretch, he got up and dutifully went downstairs to the kitchen to get me my sandwich.

If it were a couple of weeks ago, I would've felt guilty waking my husband at four in the morning to help me satiate my seemingly never ending cravings but with my due date getting closer, I needed help in getting up from bed. It was more time efficient and safer to just wake Edward so he could get me what I wanted instead of struggling to stand up and inevitably breaking something.

I sat up against the pillows and turned on the bedside lamp. I squinted a bit, my eyes adjusting to the light, until I could register our bedroom. The space was pretty and simple – the color scheme being beige and blue – but at the moment, it was kinda messy with jackets slung over the sofa and books piled on top of the dresser. Still, it was a nice reminder that we've been living in the house for quite a while.

"Hey," Edward greeted with a sleepy smile as he emerged in the doorway with my plate. He made his way back to the bed and handed it to me as he placed a kiss on my temple.

"Thanks. This smells amazing," I ignored the white smoke coming off of the sandwich, clearly showing that it was piping hot and picked it up before dropping it again.

"Easy," Edward laughed. "Give it a little time to cool off first,"

"But your kid is starving,"

"Hmm," he placed his hand on my bulging stomach just as the baby kicked. "Looks like Junior's going to have his mommy's appetite,"

Yes, we're having a boy. We aren't going to be calling him Edward Junior or anything like that though. The Cullen family has w_ay _too much Edward's as it is. Esme came by a couple of weeks ago and showed me the giant ass Cullen family tree which featured Edward Masen, Edward Carlisle, Edward Charles and about a dozen other Edward's until finally reaching my own Edward Anthony.

I figured our son deserved a little more originality.

That being said, however, we still didn't know what to name him. Ever the procrastinators, we decided to put that off until actually seeing him. Maybe he'll be born with a nametag.

"I just hope he gets the same metabolism as I do," I chuckled, waiting impatiently until the bread was cool enough to touch and eat.

"Well, even if he doesn't, I'm sure he'll burn off all the extra calories, anyway. Uncle Emmett's already planning all the sports he's going to be joining which is why I'm hoping he'll get my sense of equilibrium,"

"Yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes. "Speaking of Emmett, he and Jasper are coming over tomorrow…or well, in a few hours from now, by the way,"

Edward sighed. "Of course they are,"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't want them to visit?"

"No, I'm good with them dropping by every once in a while but jeez, Bella, they were here three days ago!"

I laughed. Ever since we finally had the game room in order at the basement just as the previous owners had, Emmett and Jasper had been coming over on a very regular basis to help us 'break it in.' Edward was cool about it at first since I was beginning to get too big or too tired to play like I used to and he wanted some serious playmates but clearly, he was getting sick of New Moon's drummer and bassist already.

You'd think spending months and months with those two in a cramped bus and everywhere else would get him used to spending a lot of time with them but apparently, that wasn't the case.

"We can kick them out," I offered, finally taking a bite of my sandwich.

"Meh. It's fine, I guess. Might as well squeeze in as much bonding time as possible before Junior arrives,"

"Good point," I nodded.

Edward's sentiment got me thinking of how much time I've spent with Rosalie and Alice. They've helped me with the baby shower and decorating the new house but I don't remember hanging out with them without the excuse of an event.

"Maybe I can go out with Rose and Alice tomorrow," I thought aloud. "Go do some girly things and such,"

"Are you sure you can?" my ever concerned husband rubbed my protruding stomach. "Your back's still giving you problems and your ankles are still a bit swollen,"

I adjusted my position on the bed as I thought about it. I couldn't really get around like I used to anymore and I was too lazy to go out anyway. "Yeah, maybe it'd be better if Rose and Alice just came with their men,"

"I like that idea better. And besides, I don't want the paps hounding you in your condition,"

"Hey, I can still fight them off despite my knocked-up state,"

"I wasn't worrying much about you. I was thinking more about their safety,"

I smirked. Apparently, my preggo hormones didn't only make me more emotional but it also made my anger levels rise to new heights. My patience for idiot reporters and their fucking cameras was at its lowest point. Add that to my protective mommy instincts and you get nosy photographers who get stomped to the ground unless someone holds me back.

We talked more about random topics until my speech began to slur and I fell asleep again. I woke up hours later to the sound of loud voices downstairs.

With my pregnancy speed similar to that of a turtle, I got myself out of bed and presentable only after another sixty minutes. I made my way down the stairs and to the basement to see my band mates and their women talking and laughing with each other.

"Hey, there she is!" Alice announced brightly as she jumped off the couch and pranced towards me. "How are you feeling, Bella?"

"Oh, you know. The usual. Hungry, groggy, and a little hormonal," I smiled at her.

"That's expected. Look at you! You look like you're going to pop out Little Edward any second!"

"Feels that way sometimes, too," I huffed, sitting next to Edward. "Hi husband,"

"Hi wife," he tore his eyes away from the TV screen for a second to kiss me on the cheek. "Dammit, Em! I said go left!"

"I _did _go left!" Emmett insisted.

"No, you didn't," Jasper said from the floor. "If you did, then the ball wouldn't have gone past you,"

"Whatever,"

The boys continued to play in their own little world of Quidditch – yes, they were playing _Quidditch _– while Rosalie and Alice filled me in on whatever stories they've heard.

"Did you know that The Harley Quinns have broken up?" Rose asked. "Their manager released the official statement a couple of days ago,"

"Really?" both my eyebrows went up. "Why?"

"They said 'creative differences,'" Alice shrugged as if saying that that's what they publicized but she didn't believe it.

"I think it has something to do with the chick James is dating, though," Rose injected.

"What, like how Yoko Ono broke up The Beatles?" Jasper's tone sounded amused.

"When in doubt, blame the singer's girlfriend," Emmett snickered and they both turned their heads to look at me.

"Please," I rolled my eyes. "First of all, I'm not the singer's girlfriend but the singer's wife. The singer's very _pregnant _wife. Second, I'm also a part of the band so I don't count.

"Now if Edward was still dating Lauren Mallory, however, your argument would be very valid,"

"Whatever happened to her, by the way?" Alice wondered. "Last time I heard, she was dating some poor sap from a boy band,"

"She still is, I think," Rosalie answered. "Anyway, she doesn't matter,"

"She never did," Edward murmured from beside me.

Topics switched then and conversation continued for a long time. Alice and Rosalie engaged in an outfit related conversation – one I was definitely not interested in joining – so I ended up playing _Tekken _with the boys.

"Ha! Eat sword, sucker!" Emmett boomed as he threw his controller down on the floor in triumph and started dancing like an idiot. "Victory, thy name is Emmett!"

"We still have one more round, you doof. Sit your ass down," I rolled my eyes just as I felt a kick in my stomach. Baby C was having a ball exercising his legs these days so I wasn't surprised to feel it.

We played the final round pretty seriously. Neither of us liked the idea of losing in a video game and you could tell just by looking at the screen. We were both using heavy attacks and doing our best to dodge whatever the other threw.

I was surprised when Emmett's character suddenly stopped moving and just stood there defenselessly. I quickly took advantage of his paralysis and finished him off.

"And that's how it's done, son," I grinned cockily as the game announced my victory. I expected some cries of protests or something but unexpectedly, I didn't hear anything. Not from Emmett or…anyone, really.

"Emmett?" I turned to look at him and saw that he was staring at the sofa I was sitting on with his eyes wide and his jaw on his lap.

"What?" I asked. "What's going on?"

"Bella…your…"

"Um, Bella, do you want to go to the hospital?" Rosalie's tone sounded weird.

"Hospital." I repeated. "What for?"

"Baby, I think your water broke," Edward sounded as shocked as he looked.

"I think I'd be aware if I was about to go into labor, Edward," I chuckled, dropping the controller next to me then using the couch as support for me to get up. I was starving.

I was startled when my fingers encountered something wet. Apparently, the source was my soaked jeans.

_Huh. How come I didn't feel that?_

My hands ran through the wetness on my pants and I mentally thanked the good Lord that I didn't have an accident.

That only left my water really breaking, however.

"Yeah, okay, I think it really is time we go to the hospital,"

Everyone was in a flurry of activity all of a sudden while I just kinda…stood there. This was it. Moment we've all been waiting for. The arrival of Little Edward.

_Holy schmeck, I'm officially gonna be a mother! _

An arm wrapped around me, effectively pulling me out of my haze, and ushered me up the stairs and into our bedroom in what seemed like a short minute. Alice or Rosalie – I wasn't sure who anymore – helped me change my clothes then led me down to the Volvo. Edward got in the driver's side and sped out of the driveway en route to the hospital.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

"They're following us there," he replied, sounding a bit panicked. He looked over to me with a worried expression and placed one hand on my stomach.

"Do you feel anything? Any pain?"

"Uh," just then, I felt a tightening in my stomach. It wasn't really painful, just uncomfortable. "I'm not feeling any pain but I do feel something. It's okay, just keep driving,"

His hand remained on my belly as he drove one handed in speeds way beyond the allowed limit. We reached the hospital about ten minutes later where I was immediately placed in a wheelchair and carted off to a room.

"How are you doing?" Edward pulled my hand between his and planted a kiss on my knuckles. "Still okay?" 

"I'm…ah, good," I gave him a small smile. While my contractions may have been pretty weak back in the car, they were certainly increasing in intensity.

"Do you want me to distract you?" he asked just as the rest of the gang made their appearance.

"This is so fucking exciting!" Emmett boomed as he pulled up a chair. "I've never seen a live birth before,"

"And you're certainly not going to see one today," I told him.

"Aw," he sounded genuinely disappointed.

"Oh and Bella, I forgot to mention I already called Jacob. He, your mom and Nessie are on their way. And I called your dad, too," Alice informed me.

Renee hadn't gone back to Florida after the wedding, choosing instead to hang around California until her grandson arrived. I offered to let her stay at the house but she said that Jake already had her room set up at his. She still came by frequently, though.

"Ah shit, I forgot to call my mother," Edward muttered. "I'll be right back. You know she'll kill me if I don't tell her,"

"Go," I laughed, pushing at his hand. If there was anyone probably more excited than Edward and I about the birth of the baby, it was definitely Esme. As promised, she and Carlisle furnished the nursery despite my protests and even set up a trust fund for him.

"So do you guys know what to name the baby yet?" Rosalie inquired from Emmett's lap. "Oh, who am I kidding. You two are going to wait till the last minute,"

"As usual," I smirked.

"The fans have some really interesting ideas, though," Jasper snickered. "They have a poll going on at the website for what's the best name for The Golden Child,"

"Golden Child?" I repeated.

"Yeah, it's what they're calling Baby C,"

"Heh. Really?" I'm sure I sounded amused. "Anyway, what do they suggest?"

"Well, there's Isaward and Edwella,"

"How…original," I commented. "What else?"

Jasper recited all the names he could remember and I found myself getting more and more weirded out as name after name escaped his lips_. I wonder how badly my son's going to be made fun of if we do name him Chocolate Lee as suggested._

"So you heard anything you like?"

"Er, not really," I admitted then later, added "Edward likes the name Erik,"

Speaking of whom, Edward entered the room again and sat down on his vacated seat.

"Okay, she and Carlisle are driving over here as we speak," he told me.

"Awe-" I stopped talking just as a contraction hit. "Awesome,"

"You okay, baby?" his hand stroked my cheek. I gave him a thumbs-up just as Emmett struck up a new conversation about one thing or the other.

I was starting to get drowsy which wasn't surprising considering that it was one-thirty in the afternoon. I gave in to my slowly drooping consciousness and closed my eyes for a few seconds.

What woke me up was a surprisingly more intense tightening in my stomach. It only lasted for about thirty seconds or so, but it caught me off guard.

"Bella?" Edward stroked my hair from beside me.

"Hi," I greeted him absently. "Sorry, that was just more painful than the others,"

He chuckled and kissed my forehead. "No need to apologize, sweetheart,"

"Hey Bella," another voice pulled my attention elsewhere. I turned my head to see Jacob sitting on the chair Emmett once sat on. No one else was in the room.

"Oh hey, you're here," I gave him a big smile just as he hugged me in as much as the bed would allow. "When did you arrive?"

"Around three soooo, two hours ago, more or less," he replied, looking at his watch. I blinked and looked at mine as well. It was five in the afternoon. _Wow, I slept a long time…_

"Where are mom and Nessie?"

"Cafeteria. Nes was craving some pudding and pickles and mom offered to go with her,"

Jacob and Vanessa learned they were expecting about two months ago and were just ecstatic. I'll admit, I was a bit concerned but the worry disappeared quickly when I saw how much my brother grew up because of the news. Gone were the days of him spiking dairy products and other stupid stunts like that.

"Ah," I nodded. "Where are Carlisle and Esme, by the way?"

"Er, they got a little lost," Edward laughed. "Some malfunction in their car's GPS or something,"

"Esme must be furious," I chuckled.

"Let's just say I'm _so_ glad I'm not my dad right now,"

Renee and Nessie entered the room a few minutes later and hung about for a while before my brother and his wife had to go home. While Nes was happy about her pregnancy, it was talking a serious toll on her body. Jacob mentioned that she was so tired some days that she couldn't even leave the bed.

Renee, however, stayed.

"I remember how it was when I gave birth to you," she sighed, smiling softly. "Took eight hours to get you out but it was worth it,"

"Eight _hours?" _I asked, bewildered. "And you spent all that time _pushing?"_

"Yes," she said, nodding slowly. "It's expected that first time births take longer. Your brother popped out in what seemed like seconds,"

"Damn," I muttered. I mean, eight hours? Good lord, what if it took me longer?! 

Renee must've noticed the scared expression on my face and quickly came over to pat the hand that Edward wasn't kissing. "Don't worry. It may have been long but women of the Dwyer family have a very high pain tolerance. You'll do just fine,"

_God, I hope so…_

I spent the next few hours chatting with my mother and husband and watching TV. I could feel my contractions arriving closer to each other and increasing in force. I knew that meant I was getting closer and closer to the main event and I was both excited and downright terrified at the same time.

It felt like it was just mere minutes afterwards when I could feel the baby coming. _Holy lord, he was coming! _I didn't know what the hell happened exactly but pretty soon, the room filled with people and Edward and Renee were dressed in scrubs, ready to assist in whatever way they could.

I felt like I was watching a movie in the first person perspective or something. Everything felt so…_surreal. _I mean sure, I could see the glare of the light above, the doctor between my legs, some nurses scurrying about and I could definitely feel the pressure in my belly but I just couldn't seem to grasp what was really happening.

Soon, I was told to push and push I did. I honestly didn't how the hell you were supposed to shove the baby out of your downstairs but when the time came for me to do it, I just…did. I kinda couldn't do anything else, anyway.

"You're doing wonderfully, Mrs. Cullen," the doctor praised me. "Just a few more and you'll have your boy in your arms in no time,"

_Just a few more,_ I repeated to myself. And it was about damn time, too. I felt like I was pushing forever.

"Almost there, sweetheart," Edward encouraged, squeezing my hand.

_Almost there…_

I kept up my work many times over until I finally heard what I've been dying to hear for the past months: the loud cry of my son.

Though I felt tired, I couldn't bring myself to relax until my baby was in my arms. I saw Edward cut the umbilical cord and very vaguely heard the nurse announce the baby's weight and length but I was too distracted to really pay attention because my beloved little bundle was finally handed to me.

"He's beautiful, Bella," Renee sounded like she was close to tears as she looked over her grandson. "So beautiful,"

And he was. The moment I laid my eyes on him, I immediately saw his father's perfect features in his angelic face. A tuft of brownish colored hair covered his head and he opened his eyes to reveal a shade of blue.

"Hi little guy," I murmured, tracing a finger along his cheek.

I turned to Edward. "He looks just like you,"

He gave a small smile and tentatively reached out to touch his head. "He does but it's his mother's attributes that make him perfect,"

I sighed and softly kissed the baby on the forehead. As I looked at him, something suddenly entered my head.

"Matthew," I voiced aloud. "His name his Matthew,"

"It sounds perfect for him," Edward agreed, leaning down and placing a kiss on my head while his hand remained in contact to our son. "I love you, Bella. Thank you,"

I smiled and murmured my love and gratitude for him as well.

I wanted to know the exact time and day of that moment, to remember it and be thankful for it always.

It was the moment Matthew Thomas Cullen was finally nestled in my arms.

It was the moment my loving husband's arms encircled us both.

And it was the moment I knew my life was finally complete.

**The End/Ang Katapusan/Das Ende**


	35. Uber Facts

**UBER FACTS**

'When in Doubt, Blame the Singer's Girlfriend' is taken from a _Guitar Hero: World Tour_ loading screen.

Bella's guitar style is similar to that of Orianthi Panagaris (nice rifts and killer solos).

Jasper's bass playing is likened to that of My Chemical Romance's Mikey Way (subtle but his bass solos are awesome).

Emmett's drum techniques are based off of Gustav Schafer of Tokio Hotel (fuck load of pedals).

Edward has no definite voice in my head. It changes from Brendon Urie's of Panic! At the Disco to Tyson Ritter's of All-American Rejects and a bunch of other singers. Depends on what I was listening to while working on a chapter.

_Midnight Sun's _Jaymes and Thomas are Kristen Jaymes Stewart and Robert Thomas Pattinson.

_Midnight Sun_ is _Twilight_ told from Edward's perspective.

_Aphelion (Midnight Sun's _sequel) is defined as the point where in a planet/comet is farthest from the sun. This became _New Moon's_ counterpart because this had the point wherein Edward and Bella were farthest from each other.

Edward having a cyst in his vocal cords is based off the experience of Tokio Hotel's lead singer Bill Kaulitz. They had to stop their tour and go back to Germany for him to be treated properly. However, instead of his girlfriend, it was his twin brother and the band's guitarist Tom who took care of him. When the tour resumed, more shows were also added.

The interview with fan questions was based off of an actual MTV interview with Tokio Hotel way back 2008 or something close to that year. Some questions – like 'if you could live forever, what would you live for?' – were really asked by legit fans via the MTV website.

Answers to interviews were also based on the band's actual responses. Jasper saying that his wife is the only thing for him – well, that and his DVD collection – was also the reply of Georg Listing, TH's bassist though he said girlfriend instead of wife. Emmett's answer of bringing three bags filled with everything he needed to a desert island was what Gustav answered as well.

In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm pretty much obsessed with Tokio Hotel.

Referenced fanfiction:

- Million Dollar Baby by clpsuperstar (the one where Bella sells herself for a million dollars to one horny Edward to get money for her mother's heart surgery)

- Realize by Goo82 (super angsty story from which _1000 Oceans _is loosely based off of).

New Moon's songs are either actual songs or books I randomly saw on my shelf:

- _I'm Not Okay_ (Song by My Chemical Romance)

- _Final Day_ (Song by Tokio Hotel; English counterpart of _Der Letzte Tag_)

- _You'll Be Safe Here_ (Song by Rivermaya)

- _Thieves Like Us_ (Novel by Stephen Cole)

- _She's So Money_ (Novel by Cherry Cheva)

- _Perfect Mistake_ (Novel by Kate Brian; one of the _Privilege_ novels)

Events that actually in real life:

- The milk spiking

- Fainting in an airport (though I fainted in a mall and it wasn't because I was preggo, but because I didn't eat anything that day)

- Suffering from body ache after playing _Just Dance _on the PS3 for how many hours straight the night before. That's what happens to people who don't exercise then suddenly throw themselves into pretty strenuous physical activities.

- Calling _Cosmopolis_ Cosmopolitan

- Having feels from watching _Welcome to the Rileys. _

**Outtakes? Futuretakes? Most probably.**


	36. Chapter 36 - A Futuretake

**Outtakes and futuretakes will be posted in no chronological order.**

"Stupid cars and your stupid drivers. This is _not _a loading and unloading zone! I have a kid to pick up!"

I sighed and rested my head on the steering wheel. I wish I could roll the windows down and really let the idiots in front of me hear that but I knew that wasn't a good idea. I was driving Edward's Aston – the only car the paps didn't know he owned – en route to Matt's school so getting my cover blown was not an option.

It was my turn to pick him up (or at least according to Edward, anyway) and I originally wanted to do that on my Harley but after protests from my husband about safety, he just tossed me the keys to his car.

I looked at my watch and scratched my head in frustration. I was going to be late if the freakin' woman in front of me couldn't grasp that you aren't supposed to drop people off then wait for them to get back in after dashing to the grocery store. And I don't just mean late in picking up my son.

New Moon went on hiatus after Matt was born for a couple of years so we can focus on our families and such but as soon as he began to attend kindergarten, Rosalie declared that it was time to get back on the scene and to do that, we needed some new material.

Everyone else was waiting back at the studio for me to return so we can get back to recording shit for the new album but that clearly wasn't happening any time soon.

After what seemed like a thousand lifetimes, I was finally moving forward. Matt's school was in the same neighborhood where we lived so it took me a while to get there and once I eventually did, I had to find a good parking spot before getting out and picking up my son.

"Mama!" I heard my favorite little man before I saw him.

"Hey buddy," I got on one knee and intercepted his hug. "You ready to go?"

"We can't go yet, mama," he giggled, pulling away. "You still gotsta go knitting,"

"Knitting?" I repeated. "What knitting?"

"The one with Miss Angela and the rest of the mommies and daddies,"

I had to think for a second. "You mean a meeting?"

"That's what I said,"

I chuckled, ruffling his messy brown hair. The color was the only thing we had in common. Like Edward's, it was standing all over the place especially since it looked like he spent the better part of the afternoon running around and playing tag.

"Does daddy know about the meeting?" I asked as he pulled me by the hand towards the inside of the school building.

"Yup," Matt nodded enthusiastically. "Miss Angela gived him a letter last time,"

They issued letters and Edward didn't tell me? Why wouldn't he even – oh. _Oh._ I saw what he was trying to do. He didn't want to attend so got me to pick up Matt without telling me about the meeting knowing full well that I wouldn't want to go either. Now that I'm here, I'd have no choice but to go. _Why that little…_

My fuming was interrupted by my eager five year old who pointed out Miss Angela, his teacher, as we neared a classroom.

"Mrs. Cullen. So glad you could attend," she smiled at me and held out her hand. I grinned back and shook it.

"Yeah, I wasn't aware there was going to be a meeting, though,"

"Didn't Mr. Cullen inform you? We gave out memos yesterday. Oh well. Sometimes people tend to forget things. What's important is that you're here now,"

_People tend to forget things. _Yeah, right.

I signed the attendance sheet at the teacher's table and let Matt lead me to a seat somewhere in the back row. I was glad there weren't any more seats in the front of the room. I wasn't in the mood for this shit and the last thing I needed was to look attentive.

"Mama, can you help me tie my shoe?"

"Sure, buddy. Prop it up on the chair,"

A small Converse covered foot lifted onto the wood and I quickly got to work on fixing the loosened laces. Matt was still learning how to tie on his own so it was quicker if I did it myself.

As he set both feet on the ground, I couldn't help but appreciate how badass my kid looked. He had a Metallica shirt on, a nice pair of jeans, black Converse sneakers (of course) and on his left wrist was the cuff with the Cullen family crest Carlisle gave him on his last birthday.

I may be a little biased but he was definitely the coolest looking kid in the entire class.

What really made him handsome, however, was how much he looked like his father. It was almost scary how alike they were and I'm not just talking about the physical aspects. Outside, he was just like Edward and on the inside, even more so. He liked to run his hand through his hair when he's frustrated and he definitely has a way of charming people (myself included) to get out of trouble.

"Do you know what this meeting's about?" I asked as more parents came pouring in, some with their kids and some without. Matt just shrugged.

As soon as everyone settled down, Miss Angela got the ball rolling on class projects and unconsciously, my slipping consciousness.

I tried to pay attention, I really did, but the whole thing was just so…pointless! Utterly insignificant. Some of the parents down front were so zealous they wanted to discuss all the little details. I think they spent about forty-five minutes on the pros and cons of having the annual play to be _The Wizard of Oz._

I mean, come on, people. It's a _play, _not the freakin' United Nations World Summit.

"Mama," Matt's soft voice and his little hand tugging at my shirt interrupted my internal grumbling and fight to keep from falling asleep.

"What is it, sweetie?"

"Mama, I'm bored,"

_Me too, buddy. Me too._

I looked over to him and almost laughed at how adorably _Edward_ he looked. His expression was the very same one on his father's face while enduring yet another interview after having gone through hundreds prior on the same day.

I didn't miss his sincerity though. Matt rarely complained (yet another Edward trait) so if he tells you he's bored, it means he really _is_ extremely, supremely, incredibly bored out of his little five year old wits.

Everyone else in the room seemed distracted enough so I dug into my pocket and pulled out my iPhone and earphones. Matt's face lightened up considerably as I handed him both and he immediately popped the buds into his ears. After going through my playlists, I found the one titled 'Matt' and pressed play. That ought to keep him awake.

Growing up with both parents as musicians, it was no surprise that Matt was born with a sense of rhythm and an appreciation for decent songs. While he was into bands like Linkin Park, he was also a fan of Debussy's and Beethoven's works. That resulted to an eclectic playlist that featured the three.

Course I had to filter which songs he listened to. Some of Linkin Park's songs weren't exactly family friendly so I ended up not including a couple of tracks from the _Minutes to Midnight _album.

As _New Divide _began to play, I noticed how very obvious the white earphones were. Covering them was never really a problem for me since I had a curtain of hair that could disguise it. Clearly, my son's locks didn't reach that far so I had to think of some other way to achieve the same effect.

I suddenly remembered the beanie I was wearing (Edward's) and quickly yanked it off my head and onto Matt's. After a few adjustments, the earphones weren't as apparent anymore.

"…right, Mrs. Cullen?"

I jumped a little at the mention of my name and quickly reverted my attention back to the meeting. One lady was standing up, hands on her hips, as she looked at me expectantly.

"Er, sorry, what was that?"

"The music program. Don't you agree that it would be a good idea if the school provided a music appreciation subject for the children? "

I shrugged. "Sure. Music has been proven time and time again to be helpful in the learning process and develops a deeper sense of cultural appreciation. Maybe it would even be better if an actual music class would be implemented. You know, teach the kids how to play instruments and what not…?"

Yeah, I'll admit my suggestion was helpful but I immediately regretted it when it started another lengthy discussion amongst the others. I was starving and I'm pretty sure Matt was too. Edward was right when he said he inherited my appetite.

We were finally released from purgatory two hours later. I took a deep breath of the fresh air outside and waited for Matt to say goodbye to his friends before we walked hand in hand to the car.

"Where's daddy?" he asked as I helped him in.

"He's in the studio with your Uncle Emmett and Jasper. Aunt Alice and Rose are there, too," I told him. "We're going to them right now,"

"Is Bryce gonna be there too?"

"Yeah, I bet he's already there waiting for you,"

Having been born barely a year apart, Bryce and Matt were the best of friends. They both shared the same love for _Transformers _and hot chocolate and both agreed that broccoli was the worst vegetable ever unless combined with melted cheese. Lately, they've been spending more and more time together which was inevitable considering how often Edward and I needed to work with Jasper for the new album.

"What about Vicki?"

"I don't think Vic's gonna be there, sweetie," I said as I backed out of the parking space. "Your Uncle Jake mentioned something about taking her to the zoo today,"

"Oh, okay. Good. I don't want her getting her girl cooties all over me,"

I chuckled and shook my head as we neared a McDonald's drive-thru. Victoria Leigh Swan was born on July twenty-eight a year after Matt's birthday to a very proud and happy Jake and Nessie. She was delivered a couple of weeks early and everything took a huge toll on Nessie's health but in the end, everything turned out okay. Matt loved his cousin but, like every other five year old, didn't like how she interfered with his 'boys only' time with Bryce.

"What are you hungry for, baby?" I asked as the metal box thing where you place your order came up.

"Nuggets," Matt answered immediately. "With lotsa' fries and lotsa' ice cream,"

I knew I shouldn't condone so much junk food but he and I were both starving and it would take too much time for me to whip up something healthier. Meh, I'll just make sure to include more vegetables in this week's menu or something.

We turned up in the studio parking lot a few minutes later with the Aston's leather seats covered in crumbs and some smears of soft serve. I did a half assed job of cleaning then helped Matt of off his seat.

I figured since Edward 'forgot' to tell me about the long as hell meeting, I could let him tidy up his own car.

"Daddy!" Matt took off running the minute he saw Edward seated on one of the sofas and launched himself onto his lap.

"Hey son," Edward greeted as he adjusted him so both of them were more comfortable. "Hey wife,"

"Hi husband," I leaned down and kissed him on the lips.

"Mm, you taste like chicken," he chuckled. "And…is that vanilla ice cream?"

"Mama and me went to McDonald's!" Matt tugged on his father's collar as he explained. "We had to eat at the car though 'cause mama said we were late,"

The look on Edward's face as he slowly turned to me was a hilarious mixture of wanting to scold me yet still keeping a calm façade for our son.

"You ate in the Aston?" he asked. "Bella, I thought I asked you not to make a mess of that car,"

"Sorry. Forgot," I shrugged unapologetically. "You know, like how you forgot to tell me about a certain meeting this afternoon?"

That definitely shut him up. Instead of replying, he turned back to Matt. "Why don't you go play with Bryce in the other room, buddy. He said he wanted to show you his new Optimus Prime action figure,"

"Okay," Matt agreed easily and jumped off his lap before charging through the nearby door.

The minute he was out of earshot, I looked back at my husband. "Well?"

"I…ah…about that…" he smiled and got up. "Matt's teacher _may _have given me a letter yesterday,"

"And you didn't tell me about that why?"

"Because you wouldn't have gone,"

I knew it. "I shouldn't have had to! Edward, more than half my parts haven't even been fixed yet and there's still the sound – "

I was interrupted by his warm lips suddenly pressing to mine and arms wrapping around me. My own snaked around his neck and held pulled our forms even closer. It really didn't take long for our little make out session to start involving some tongue…then falling to the couch…then inappropriate touching…

I guess it was a good thing we were startled by the book our legs accidentally kicked to the ground because for sure, if there had been no interruption, our clothes would've been splayed on the ground in mere seconds.

"Edward?" I whispered a little breathlessly as our foreheads rested on each other.

"Yeah?"

"You're cleaning your own car,"

**Maraming salamat/thank you/danke schon to whoever nominated When in Doubt for the top ten completed fics of September. I didn't even know such a competition existed *very ignorant***

**For those who wish to show their support: twifanfictionrecs category/top-ten-fics/completed/top-ten-completed-fics-sep-2012/  
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	37. Chapter 37 - A Futuretake

I yawned as I placed the chicken in the oven and set the timer. I knew it was only seven-thirty but Edward and I had been up doing…_things _last night. I'm not entirely sure what had gotten him so worked up but just as I was about to climb into bed, Edward was behind me, lips to my neck and hands tugging at my shirt. Needless to say he was sated only when the sun had begun to make an appearance.

_At least you can sleep in tomorrow, _I thought to myself as I wiped down the kitchen counters. Today was the last day of kindergarten which meant no more waking up early for either Edward or I to bring Matt to school.

Speaking of my boys, I could hear them loudly playing _Guitar Hero _downstairs from where I stood. After we showed Matt how to play, it became apparent that he had inherited yet another trait of his mother's which was…well, excellent _Guitar Hero _skills.

"How did you do that?" Edward sounded bewildered as I walked to the game room to call them upstairs. "Did you use any cheats?"

"Daddy!" Matt's tone was surprised at first then turned adorably scolding. "Mama said you're not p'possed to use cheats,"

"Oh, really?" my husband snorted just as he spotted me. "That coming from the woman who keeps using 'motherlode' in _The Sims?"_

"Hey, _Sims _is an exception," I said as I sat down next to our son. "It's ridiculous how they expect a family of eight to survive on just twenty thousand simoleons. What made you accuse my sweet boy of cheating anyway?"

"I beat daddy, mama!" Matt answered for him excitedly as he climbed onto my lap. "See?"

He pointed to the screen where their stats were shown. Both of them were on the hard difficulty but Matt had Edward outdone by two percent on accuracy.

I couldn't stifle my laugh when I noticed that the song they played was New Moon's.

"Yes, well, daddy could never handle mommy's guitar solos even in real life, anyway," I said before tickling his sides. Matt squealed and squirmed on my lap before managing to get away.

"My ego's hurt," Edward put on a mock offended front as he scooted closer to me.

"Aw, poor baby," I reached over and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "I'll give it a chance to recover tonight,"

"You better," he muttered, pulling me closer and kissing the hell out of me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and all but devoured him.

"Ick," I heard Matt grumble disgustedly. Edward and I pulled away with suggestive looks on our faces.

_So _glad I can sleep in tomorrow.

"Dinner's almost ready," I announced as the three of us made our way upstairs. "Can you set the table for me, buddy?"

"Okay,"

"And make sure you include an extra set. Grandma's coming over,"

Since summer vacation was upon us and the album was finished, it was time for another tour. There were a lot of nights discussing what we would do with Matt while we were away and we decided that even though he was old enough to behave properly, it would be smarter to leave him at home.

Renee had volunteered to look after Matt and our house when the time comes. She stayed with Jake for about a month after the birth of her grandson but eventually had to go back to Florida. She was back in California tonight however and while I offered to pick her up from LAX, she insisted that it wasn't necessary and that she would just be over for dinner.

I would have invited Jacob, Nessie and little Victoria as well but they were currently vacationing in Forks with Charlie. My brother did promise to come over daily to help Renee look after Matt, though.

"What are we having?" Edward asked as he followed me to the kitchen.

"Chicken and mashed potatoes," I told him as I checked the oven. It would still be a couple of minutes before the fowl's cooked thoroughly.

"Do you need me to do anything?" he asked while I moved around.

I resisted the urge to snort. The only thing Edward could do in the kitchen was opening a bottle of beer. "That's alright, honey. I've got everything covered,"

He shrugged in the 'suit yourself' kind of way before leaving.

Minutes later, the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of my mother.

"You look good. California still treating you well, I see," she commented after the usual greetings.

"You don't look so bad yourself," I said, giving way so she could come inside. Edward excused himself so he could go get her luggage.

"And where's my favorite grandson?"

"Grandma!"

The ball of energy that was Matt came hurtling from upstairs and into Renee's arms in seconds. While my mother had been hell to deal with when I was a kid, she was more than making up for her past behavior with my son. She spoiled him rotten with everything from her peanut butter cookies to letting him tinker with her prized watches that Jacob and I were forbidden to touch as children.

She always spent so much time with him when she was in town and when she wasn't, they always spoke via Skype with Edward's or my help.

I guess it was no surprise that Renee was Matt's favorite grandmother, much to Esme's chagrin.

Don't get me wrong. Esme does a pretty good job in the grandma department too but it's just that her kind of spoilage wasn't the…human resource type. She and Carlisle still resided in London which meant that they couldn't really visit often so they try to make up for it by sending Matt toy after toy. However, while he enjoys the gifts he's given, Matt still prefers you playing tag with him over a Nintendo DS and Esme unfortunately couldn't provide that.

"…and I got a gold star for being quiet in line," Matt finished proudly as he sat next to Renee in the living room.

"That's great, pumpkin. It's good that you're being such a good boy in school,"

"I'm a good boy at home, too! Mama tells me that every time I help her in the kitchen or when I don't make noise when daddy's p'pposed to be singing in the glass room,"

"Speaking of whom, where is Edward?"

"He went to get your bags," I explained. But now that I think about it, he _has _been gone a long time. "I'll go check on him,"

"Edward?" I called out as I made my way to the driveway. I spotted him right away by the car my mom must've rented. He was speaking to a man I've never seen before.

"Hey," I said when I was close. "What's taking so long?"

"Hey Bella," my husband greeted. He wrapped the arm that wasn't carrying a bag around my waist. "I was just talking to Phil here,"

"Phil?" I didn't know anyone named such.

"Yeah…your mom's friend? From Florida?"

I opened my mouth to say that Renee didn't tell me anything about bringing a friend but this Phil guy decided to interrupt.

"I'm sorry; Renee must've forgotten to mention me. I'm Phil, your mother's friend. She…invited me to come along with her so she could introduce me. You must be Bella. I have to say I'm a huge fan of you and your husband's work,"

"Oh. Uh…thanks," I responded awkwardly. "So…uh…you should come inside. Edward, do you need any help with their bags?"

"Oh don't worry about that. I'll help him," Phil insisted.

"Okay," I agreed easily and lead the two of them back to the front door.

My mother and son were still in their spots when I last saw them when we arrived in the living room. Renee's eyes suddenly widened when she saw her guest make an appearance.

"Bella," she stood up and came closer. "I'm sorry I forgot to tell you but I, ah, brought someone with me. I hope you don't mind…"

I smiled a little tightly but just waved her off all the same. "It's okay. We have more than enough food,"

"This is Phil," she introduced him unnecessarily. "My…"

"Friend," Phil filled in for her.

"Right. Friend,"

Awkward silence filled the room as we all just stood there. I didn't know what to say and it was apparent that everyone else had the same dilemma. The stillness was broken when Matt jumped off the sofa and walked towards Phil.

"I'm Matt," he smiled widely and held his small hand out. "Pleased to meet you,"

That removed the tension immediately and we all suddenly came back to life. The timer in the kitchen went off just then and I excused myself to take the chicken out of the oven. I was surprised to see Renee follow me.

I thought she was going to apologize or explain or say _something _but all she did was stand against the counters. I sighed and got to work on assembling our meal.

"I was going to tell you," she offered after a few minutes of quiet.

"And when exactly would that have been, mom?" I turned around to face her.

"I…I was going to inform you in advance. But…I wasn't sure if I even wanted to invite him. It was on impulse that I brought him along,"

"And you couldn't have called me when you guys were in the airport in Florida or something?"

"I was nervous, alright?" she whispered anxiously. "Phil is…Phil is someone important to me and I didn't know how you'd react if I brought him with me,"

"So you decided to just spring him on me," I crossed my arms over my chest. "Oh yeah, that's _so _much better, mom,"

"I'm sorry," she exhaled. Both of us didn't say anything for a while and I could hear the boys in the other room watching some sports channel on TV.

"So…by 'important', what does that mean, exactly?" I asked, speaking first.

Renee fidgeted where she stood and suddenly found her shoes so interesting. "He…um…" she swallowed before continuing. "We're…dating,"

My eyebrows made their way up my forehead. "Really?"

"Yes,"

"Wow, that's…great!" It really was. Charlie finally had the balls to propose to Sue a few months ago and they were married not long after. I was happy for my dad but I couldn't help but think of my mother. Was she lonely? Did she have someone who made her happy too?

Now I had answers.

"Do you mean that?" she asked timidly.

"Of course!" I was by her side in an instant. "Really, mom. This is great news. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I…I don't know," she stuttered. "I guess I was afraid that you'd react badly,"

"Well, I'm totally okay with you getting yourself out there again," I told her. "Does Jake know?"

Renee shook her head. "I'm more nervous about _his _reaction, honestly,"

"Jacob would be cool with it," I dismissed her fear easily. "Both of us only want you to be happy. Does Phil make you happy?"

"Very," she sighed dreamily and for the first time, I saw a side of my mother that wasn't strict, commandeering or mothering. She looked like a girl in love.

"Well…that's all that matters," I patted her hand.

"You don't mind if he stays here with me, do you? If not, we can just go check into a hotel – "

"It's okay, mom," I said. "I mean, as long as he isn't some psychopathic serial killer or a thief…"

Renee chuckled and shook her head. "No, don't worry. He's perfectly normal and great with kids,"

Dinner was proof that my mother was correct. Phil turned out to be a really nice guy who made a lot of jokes and was easy to be around with. He used to be the coach of a minor league baseball team and offered to teach Matt some moves.

Plus, he turned out to genuinely be a New Moon fan. He knew all our albums and even attended the concert we had in Seattle in the Lunar Eclipses tour.

"When will your next tour start?" he asked before taking another bite of mashed potato.

"A few weeks from now, actually," Edward answered. "Renee's going to be looking after Matt while we're gone,"

"Really? I hope I'm no bother, then," he looked down on his plate. "If I am –"

"You're not," I assured him. "Besides, I'm sure our son would be happy to have another playmate around,"

"Do you know how to play _Battleship_?" Matt asked excitedly.

Phil chuckled. "Been a while since I've played but sure, I know _Battleship_,"

"Awesome! Do you wanna play with me?"

"Finish your dinner first, buddy," Edward reminded him of his meal. Matt ended up scarfing down what was left on his plate hurriedly.

After we were all done eating, Matt pulled Phil downstairs by the sleeve, excitedly telling him how great his strategies were. Edward, my mother and I stayed behind to clean up.

"You've chosen a good man, Bella," Renee nodded approvingly. "I could never get your father to wash the dishes for the life of me,"

Edward chuckled from the sink. "It's only fair I do the dishes since Bella cooks,"

"And Matt's growing up so quickly,"

"But not too quickly," I muttered as I stuffed the leftovers in the fridge.

"I think he's in the most energetic phase of childhood," she continued. "I remember Jacob when he was five years old. He had so many bruises and scrapes from spending too much time in the playground,"

"I think I had more injuries than him, though,"

Renee laughed. "Of course you did. Not only were you more adventurous but you were very clumsy as well,"

"She still is," Edward winced slightly when I hit him not so lightly on the arm.

"So do you plan on giving Matthew a little brother or sister anytime soon?" she asked out of the blue.

Edward and I stopped what we were doing and looked at Renee like she had grown another head.

"Er, that's not really advisable right now, mom," I said. "I mean, with the tour and all…"

"Yes, I suppose you're right but what about after?"

"Um…"

"We'll just see how it goes, Renee," Edward stepped in. "But don't worry. I'm not sure when but I assure you, Matt's not going to be an only child,"

"That's good," she nodded.

The baby talk stopped there when Edward steered the conversation to another direction, thankfully. I still couldn't stop thinking about it, though. Edward and I haven't really talked about it yet but I guess it was sort of a given that we'd have another baby soon. I have to admit I liked the idea of it.

"You want another baby?" I asked later that night as we prepared for bed.

"Yeah. Why? Don't you?"

"I do, I do," I quickly assured him. "It's just that…well, we haven't discussed that…"

"The topic never really rose until tonight,"

"I guess it hasn't,"

"Besides," a suggestive grin spread through his face. "You didn't think we've been practicing baby-making for nothing, did you?"

"No, I did not," I pulled him by the collar of his shirt so he was hovering above me as he was positioned between my legs. "Do you wanna practice some more?"

"You read my mind,"


	38. Chapter 38 - A Futuretake

_Ehhhhhh sexy leydeh! Op-op-op-op-oppan Gangnam style!_

"Bella?"

I turned my head to the opened doorway where a disoriented Edward was standing. His eyes squinted as they got used to the bright light in Matt's nursery.

"What are you doing?"

"Matt couldn't sleep," I explained, gesturing to the baby who rested against my chest. "His crying woke me up a couple of minutes ago but he wasn't hungry nor did he need a diaper change. I figured he just wasn't tired since he took a nap this afternoon so I'm trying to tire him out,"

"Tire him out," he repeated. "With _Gangnam Style?"_

"It was the first dance song I found on my phone,"

Edward chuckled and shook his head as I continued to spin around the room with our son in my arms. He took a seat on the rocking chair in the corner and watched in amusement.

Three repeats of the song later, Matt was finally drooling on my shirt, sleeping like a rock. I laid him down in his crib and kissed him goodnight before turning the music off.

"I don't think I've ever seen a parent lull her child to sleep with Korean pop music," Edward commented as we walked back to our room. I wasn't sure what time it was but it was still dark outside which meant it was still time for sleep.

"Yeah well, what puts him to sleep puts him to sleep," I shrugged, collapsing on the bed. "What time are we picking up your parents tomorrow again?"

Carlisle and Esme were flying in tomorrow to visit. Esme absolutely refused to take a cab so we had to get her ourselves.

"Around lunch time, probably," Edward answered through his yawn. "Anyway, I'm sure they'll call when they need to be picked up already,"

"But the airport's pretty far from here," I said. "Shouldn't we go about…thirty minutes before they need us?"

"Meh. We'll figure it out tomorrow," he waved his hand and promptly fell asleep. It wasn't long until I did the same.

Edward and I both woke up the next day to too much things going off at once. Matt was crying, someone's phone was vibrating so violently on the nightstand that I was afraid it was going to fall and the answering machine was beeping from so many messages that had been left.

"Go answer the phone," I groaned, sitting up. "I'll go get Matt,"

All I got from Edward was a grunt in response so I took that as a 'yes' and went down the hall to the nursery.

"Hey baby," I cooed, picking Matt up. At four months old, he could already support himself well but I was still very cautious when I lifted him. He has proved to be unpredictable in his movements and if it weren't for quick reflexes, he'd probably have some injuries.

Matt calmed down as soon as his head rested on the crook of my neck but he was still a little fussy. Even after changing him and feeding him some breast milk, he still wasn't completely placated and that probably had something to do with Edward in the other room angrily speaking to someone.

"Let's go see what's wrong with daddy," I murmured, pulling Matt closer. I walked the short distance of the hallway to see Edward trying to get his jeans on while balancing his phone between his head and shoulder.

"…you said, mother!" He paused. "Well how the hell am I supposed to…okay, okay! I'm on my way now,"

"Jeez," he muttered after the call ended.

"What's going on?"

"Apparently, their plane landed early," he said, finally pulling his jeans on properly. "They've been calling since nine,"

I looked up at the wall clock. It was ten thirty.

"Wow," I commented. "One and a half hours of calling. That takes dedication,"

"Dedication indeed," he muttered, getting a random shirt from the closet and pulling it on.

"So I assume you're going to the airport now,"

"Yeah," he sighed. "It'd be better if you stayed home. I don't want you to be yelled at,"

"Okay," I agreed easily. "I think I left some dishes from last night anyway,"

Edward nodded and held his arms out, silently telling me that he wanted to hold our son. I handed him over and looked for my slippers. I don't know how they ended up there, but I found them way under the bed.

After a quick breakfast, Edward was out the door to get the in-laws. Meanwhile, I did my best to get as much of the house as spotless as possible. This was the first time Esme and Carlisle were visiting since Matt's birth and I had a feeling that Esme wouldn't hesitate to point out the tiniest speck of dust on the windowsill and how it could potentially harm my kid.

I already started the cleaning process yesterday but there were still plates to be scrubbed and a bathroom to mop so I had to work fast. Thankfully, Matt was content to play with his blocks and listen to SpongeBob the entire time.

At around eleven thirty, I heard voices from the garage. No one sounded angry at least.

"Where's my grandson?" was Esme's opening line as soon as she entered the living room.

"Nice to see you too, Esme," I smiled dryly, going over to Matt's playpen to pick him up.

"Look at him. He's a spitting image of his father!" she exclaimed, coming over and basically demanding that I hand Matt over. No good would come from not giving him to her so I carefully placed him in her arms. He didn't cry at least.

"He seems lighter," she remarked as soon as Matt was settled and I resisted the urge to say something back.

I mean, come on. The last time she held him was when he was a few days old. Yet she's standing there, telling me that he's _lighter_? Is she implying that we don't feed him enough or something?

Luckily, Carlisle remembered that too and chuckled as he shook his head. "Esme, dear, how can he be lighter? The last time you carried him was days after he was born!"

Esme didn't have any good comebacks left and simply sat down on the sofa. Carlisle placed their luggage on the floor and came closer to give me a hug.

"Pleasure to see you again, Bella. You're looking well,"

"So do you," I grinned as I pulled back. I think Carlisle was around his early fifties yet he _still _looked like he belonged on a runway or a fashion magazine. He smiled back and sat down next to his wife.

"Hey Bella," Edward sounded a bit weary and from the number of bags he was struggling to carry, I could see why. I helped him place them on the floor before he gave me a chaste kiss on the lips.

"How was the drive over?" I asked in a low voice.

He shrugged. "Eh. Went well enough. At least they didn't lecture me as much as I expected,"

"How long are they staying again?" I looked warily at the pile of luggage on the floor.

"Two weeks at the most. My father still has some business to deal with apparently so they can't be here any longer than that,"

"Two weeks," I repeated. "From the looks of the things they brought, I would've thought they planned on staying here for a year,"

"Yeah, well. You know my mother," Edward sighed and joined his parents in the living room.

"Your home is very cozy," Carlisle offered as he looked around. "It certainly feels like a family lives here,"

"It's a bit small, don't you think?" Esme added. "I don't know how you're used to this, Edward. The whole house is just a room when you compare it to our house in England,"

"I don't see the practicality of a mansion, mother, especially since it's only the three of us living here. It would take _eons _to clean all the rooms,"

"So you don't hire a cleaning service,"

"No. We don't see the point of it,"

"Look at what this country has done to you, Edward," Esme clucked her tongue and shook her head. "You've lost your appreciation for the finer things in life,"

Edward was about to give a not-so-nice retort but then Matt chose the moment to tug on Esme's hair.

Hard.

Then proceeded to put the strands in his mouth.

"I just had this done last week!" she shrieked. After carefully prying the lock out of Matt's mouth, she held him out to the person closest to her – Carlisle. "Here. Take him,"

As soon as Matt was settled on his lap, Esme stood up with her purse on hand.

"Where is your powder room?"

"Right down the hall to the left,"

She took off without another word and the living room was left in silence save for the TV that was still on. Suddenly, Carlisle burst out laughing so hard, he startled Matt.

"That was brilliant!" he choked between chuckles. "Absolutely brilliant! Excellent work my boy!"

Matt's adorable giggles filled the room as Carlisle blew congratulatory raspberries on his stomach. Edward and I looked at him with bewildered looks on our faces.

"I'm sorry, that was hardly appropriate," Carlisle was still smiling. "But she has been coiled too tight since we left Heathrow and, in effect, was doing the same to me. I needed some type of release and the look on your mother's face was priceless when this amazing young man decided to use his grandmother's hair as a toy,"

As if hearing the compliment, Matt giggled again and clapped his chubby hands together.

"Well, mother _is _unbelievably high maintenance," Edward muttered as I took the baby from Carlisle's arms.

"Yes, well, she wasn't always like that,"

"Really?" I said.

"Yes," he was suddenly sober again. "When I met Esme, she was honestly very timid. Her family was not very well off but that didn't matter. It was her personality that called to me. I suppose it was the money we managed to earn after we married that changed everything,"

I almost got up to get him a drink. He looked like he seriously needed one.

But as soon as Esme came out of the bathroom with half of her hair looking a bit poufy from being scrubbed too much, Carlisle lost his shit again.

I sighed. It was going to be a _long _two weeks.


	39. Chapter 39 - A Futuretake

I woke up the next morning to the ear-splitting symphony of someone banging and clashing metal things downstairs. I sat up slowly and rubbed my eyes as I tried to figure out who could possibly be making the noise. Edward was still out cold beside me so it couldn't be him. Matt obviously wasn't the culprit. So who could possibly –

And then I remembered.

The harpy and her husband were here.

Letting out a huff, I got out of bed and ambled downstairs, not caring that my hair must have looked like a haystack and I was wearing pajamas with bears and kittens on it. It was my house and I had the right to parade around in whatever the hell I wanted.

As I neared the kitchen, I caught a flash of blue that could only be Esme's robe. I entered the kitchen fully and confirmed my suspicions as I watched her open and close drawers.

"Is there something you needed, Esme?" I asked in a neutral tone. It was still about seven in the morning and I was sleep deprived from playing too much _Zuma _on my laptop last night. To say I was grumpy was an understatement.

"Well, a proper breakfast of course!" she turned around and looked at me with an expression that screamed 'duh.'

"Esme, it's still pretty early," I yawned and scratched the back of my head. "Why don't you try to get more sleep? Aren't you tired from your flight over here?"

She gave a loud _pshaw _and resumed looking through my cookware.

"You need to start your day early if you want to get things accomplished, Isabella," she scolded and I suddenly, I was seven years old again in my mother's house. I swear, she told me the exact same things when I complained about her waking me at six in the morning one time.

Not knowing what else to say, I made a face and just said "Okay,"

Then a thought occurred to me. Esme was used to people waiting on her hand and foot. Clearly, their mansion back in England had some sort of cooking staff that made their meals seven days a week. I bet she hasn't even seen a skillet in years. Did she even remember how to turn on a stove?

"Er, Esme, what exactly do you plan on making?" I asked, eyeing the ingredients she began pulling out of the fridge. Maybe if she planned on just eating cereal or something that didn't require fire, it'd be alright.

"Just the morning meal I always take back home," she replied. I didn't know what that meant exactly but when I saw her look at an egg dubiously before using too much force to crack it, I knew I had to step in.

"Maybe I can help," I moved closer and took a nearby towel to wipe off the sticky mess she left.

"That's very kind of you, Bella. Thank you," she smiled before pushing the bowl she was using towards me.

"So, what did you want to make again?" I repeated my earlier question, hoping for a clearer response.

"It's all very simple, really. Just eggs Florentine, blueberry blintzes, fresh strawberries and melons and a bit of tea,"

She looked at me expectantly and I stared back with a raised eyebrow and an open mouth.

"And I almost forgot. Carlisle enjoys oatmeal brulee as well," she added, not seeming to notice the look on my face.

"Um…okay," I finally said. "How do you make-"

"Oh, look at the time! It's nearly seven-thirty. I must go and wake Carlisle. He mustn't miss his morning jog. The doctor said it is _absolutely necessary _for him to exercise,"

And with that, she bustled out of the kitchen and I was alone.

"Well, what the fuck," I threw my hands up in frustration.

I mean, seriously. I didn't even know what eggs _Florentine _was let alone how to make it. And what the hell is a _blintz? _I was a good cook, sure, but not with these foreign fancy-schmancy shit that I haven't even tasted before. Why couldn't they just want pancakes and bacon like every other normal person?

Whatever. I'll just wait for Esme to get her ass back in here so she could at least give me some idea of what we're supposed to be doing.

A minute passed. Then five. Then ten. I glanced up at the clock. It was eight AM. Edward was bound to wake up sometime soon and while I haven't heard Matt stir yet from the nearby baby monitor, I knew it wouldn't be long till he opens his eyes too.

I let out a breath and straightened my shoulders. Esme wanted her 'simple' breakfast? Fine. I'll make her little Florence eggs or whatever the fuck they're called. I'll just treat it as a challenge and see how good a chef I really am.

More determined now, I climbed the stairs to retrieve Edward's iPad from where he left it on his bedside table. The entire house was wifi powered so off to Google I went as I walked back to the kitchen.

Thank Lord for the Internet.

I guess Esme was right when she said that everything was simple. Despite their highfaluting names, the dishes she ratted off were actually pretty easy to make. And the ingredients were common enough that the pantry had them at the ready or if not, there were available substitutes.

I was just letting the eggs steam cook on top of the spinach when Edward appeared in the doorway with Matt in his arms.

"Something smells amazing," he sniffed the air appreciatively. "Morning Bella,"

"Morning," I greeted a little absently as I greased ramekins with butter.

"What are you making?" he asked, bouncing the baby a little.

"Er," I glanced back at his iPad that was propped next to me on the counter. "Oatmeal brulee,"

"Sounds good. What is it?"

"Honestly? I have no clue. I'm just following whatever the hell this website tells me,"

"Ah. Well, can you pause the cooking for a sec? I think Matt's still hungry,"

"Really?" I looked at our son and noticed that he was indeed a little too fussy. "Didn't you feed him the bottle I left warming?"

"I did, but it doesn't seem enough. After he finished off the whole thing, he just looked back at me like he was saying 'that's it?' I guess he really does have your appetite,"

I chuckled and put the butter down before taking the baby Edward offered. "Let's get him some more grub, then,"

I checked the eggs first before taking a seat in the living room and pulling my shirt up to feed my little boy. He latched on quickly and immediately got to sucking.

"Guess he really is starving," I nodded.

Edward laughed softly as he occupied the chair across from us. He felt a little weird watching me breastfeed at first but eventually he got used to it. Especially with the many number of times Matt demanded that I fill his little belly.

"What's with the experimenting by the way?" he asked after a few moments of silence. "I mean, I'm not complaining. They all look delicious but you're usually more of a bacon-and-eggs type of breakfast person,"

"Your mother. Apparently her 'usual meal' back home consists of a bunch of crap I've never heard of," I replied.

He groaned and shook his head. "God, Bella, I am so sorry. I can't believe my mother asked you to cook for her,"

"I can," I smiled. "Anyway, it's all my doing. I offered to help. It was either that or let her burn down our house by letting her try to cook instead,"

"Yeah, I guess that _is _the lesser of two evils," he agreed. "You know, you could have just made our usual breakfast. My mother wouldn't be able to do anything about that,"

I shrugged. "It's fine. I figured I'd take it as a test to see how good I really I am,"

Edward smiled and sat next to me before placing a kiss on top of my head. "You are amazing,"

After Matt was burped and content, it was back to work for me. Edward leaned against the counter and watched as I placed the oatmeal brulee into the oven.

"I wish I could help you," he sighed. "But knowing me and my complete lack of skill, I'd probably just hold you back,"

"I'm sure you'll make it up to me one way or the other," I straightened up and sprinkled some parmesan on the now cooked eggs.

Suddenly, I felt Edward's arm wrap around my waist, one hand pushing my hair off one shoulder.

"Would that have something to do with you and me naked in bed?" he murmured before placing wet kisses up my neck.

"Could be," I breathed before pushing back against his very prominent erection. "Or it could have something to do with you taking your parents out of my hair for a bit so I won't end up killing them and burying them under Matt's playground in the backyard,"

I heard a disappointed sound escape his lips as he rested his chin on my shoulder.

"Or...maybe I can do it both ways?" he suggested.

I laughed. Didn't he know that I'd have sex with him anyway? "Deal,"

Everything was ready half an hour later. Edward set the table and brewed the tea while I put finishing touches on everything. Everything looked pretty darn good and I gave myself a proverbial pat on the back.

At least I now know that if I ever stop being a musician, maybe I can run a bed and breakfast or something.

As if on cue, Esme finally came down the stairs but this time with Carlisle in tow. I had quite literally to bite my tongue to keep from saying something I know I'll regret later.

"Good morning all," Carlisle greeted as he spotted meal. "This looks wonderful, Bella,"

"Thanks," I sat down and gestured to the other seats. "Please. Help yourselves,"

Everyone settled down and dug into the food I had literally worked hours on. Judging by the appreciative moans from the men, I guess it all paid off.

"You have to make this again, Bella," Edward said through a mouthful of blintz. "It's really good,"

"I think that can be arranged," I smiled a little smugly. "It isn't complicated to make,"

"I believe this is even better than Gustavo's!" Carlisle exclaimed and I figured that must've been their slave-er, chef. He turned to Edward. "You are a very lucky man, son,"

"Don't I know it," Edward replied, his eyes darkening as he gazed into mine. I blushed and escaped the sudden scrutiny by going over to Matt's playpen and picking him up.

"Well, I suppose this would do," Esme shrugged slightly. I rolled my eyes when she turned away.

A couple of hours later, Edward kept his word and suggested that Esme and Carlisle take Matt for a walk around the neighborhood. There was a park a couple of blocks away that had a nice pond which they could visit.

Esme was eager to go but Carlisle was afraid that they might get lost so he asked Edward to come with them. Edward looked like he was going to disagree but after whispering 'tonight' in his ear, eventually relented.

"Finally!" I breathed before collapsing on the bed. I was exhausted. But surprisingly, sleep never came and I ended up being bored. It was a good thing Alice called to inform me that she was coming over. That ought to be something to eat up my time.

She showed up on the doorstep a couple of minutes later with a tan and a new haircut.

"I like your new hair," I complimented as I shut the door.

"Thanks. Bernie convinced me that it was time to for a fresh 'do. Isn't it cute?" she smoothed down some wayward black strands.

"Bernie's back in LA?" I asked. "I thought Jasper said she and her husband went to Texas or something,"

"They did. Hell, _I'm _back from Texas. We went to visit Jasper's family, remember? Didn't I tell you this sometime before?"

"Huh. Don't remember anymore,"

"I can see that," she smirked. "So what's going on over here? Rose said the monsters-in-law were in town,"

And so I told her of how I was slowly going insane from stress. She nodded sympathetically as I relayed previous events from Esme and Carlisle's not-so-warm arrival to this morning's breakfast escapade.

"If it makes you feel any better, Jasper's grandmother still thinks I'm a gold-digging whore who married Jasper for the money he'll get from his inheritance," Alice offered in consolation before sipping Esme and Carlisle's leftover breakfast tea.

"She does?" I looked at her with my eyebrows raised in surprise. As far as I knew, Alice had a picture perfect relationship with the Whitlocks.

"Well…no, not really," she acquiesced and I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously, though. His grandmother really does not seem to like me,"

"What makes you say that?"

"She wouldn't try any of my homemade peanut brittle," she pouted as if this was the worst thing that could ever possibly happen.

"Alice, Jasper's grandmother has to be about ninety years old or older. Of course she isn't going to try your peanut brittle! It might do something to her dentures or something and end up piercing her gums,"

Alice pondered upon this for a moment before giggling into her mug. "Oh, yeah,"

I resisted the urge to hit her with a pillow.

"Where are Carlisle and Esme now, anyway?" she brought her legs up on the sofa cushions. "I haven't seen them since I got here,"

"They took Matt out for some bonding," I said. "They're supposed to be back at around three,"

"What?! You left your baby alone with that witch?!" Alice shrieked, nearly knocking her tea onto the carpet.

"Of course not," I snorted. "Edward went with them,"

"Oh. Well, that's a lot better, I guess. It's a good thing Edward agreed to go. Based on what you've told me, he doesn't seem to like them an awful lot either. Well, I guess he sorta _has _to like them since they're his parents and all but…you know what I mean,"

"Yeah well, we made a deal," I shrugged and Alice smiled suggestively.

"Sex?"

I barked a laugh. "What else?"

We continued chatting for a while until the shrill ring of the telephone interrupted our conversation.

"Hello?"

"Hi Bella,"

"Oh hey, mom," I plopped down on the sofa. "What's up?"

"Okay, I know you said that I should call a couple of days in advance if I planned on visiting but I just couldn't help it. I found a lot of cute onesies for Matt and I just couldn't wait to see them on him,"

"Wait, mom, what are you saying?" my heart sped up as my brain slowly pieced together what she was telling me. "You're-"

"I'm on my way to LA!" she said in a rare happy tone. "I'm not sure where I am right now but I'll be landing in a few hours…"

I let her voice trail off in my head while I tried to come to grips of what was happening.

Esme was here.

Renee was coming over.

Fuck my life.


	40. Chapter 40 - A Futuretake

"I don't see what the big deal is," Alice shrugged. "So your mom's coming over. I thought your relationship with her was fine now,"

"Well, yeah sure _we're _in good terms," I tugged on my hair as I paced the living room. "But what do you think's going to happen when she meets Esme, hm?"

Even Alice didn't know how to respond to that. "Well…maybe they…yeah, okay you're right. Your panic is totally justified,"

"You think?"

"You never know. I mean, they were cool back at your wedding,"

"I don't even think they were _aware _of each other at the wedding," I pulled on my strands again. "We had a really emotional moment before that so Esme could've just been any other person to her. Besides, I think she was too busy paying attention to Charlie and Sue,"

"Huh," for once, Alice was at a loss for words.

"This is bad. This is really, _really _bad," I repeated the same thing I've been saying for half an hour.

"Maybe you're thinking about it all wrong," Alice tried being optimistic. "Maybe they'll end up being BFF's and spend all their time with each other so you, Edward and Carlisle finally get a break,"

I considered that possibility for a moment but only to placate my much panicked brain. Maybe Alice was right. Birds of the same feather flock together right? And they have Matt to bond over if they don't have anything else in common.

"I'd hate to leave you in your suffering, Bells, but I have to get back. Jasper and I are taking Bryce out tonight," Alice glanced at her watch and stood up to give me a quick hug. "Good luck,"

"Yeah, I'll definitely need it," I muttered as I hugged her back. She gave another sympathetic look before dancing out the door.

I took a deep breath and tried to get a hold of my thoughts. _Everything's going to be fine, _I told myself. _Renee isn't going to stay for long anyway._

_Positive thinking, Bella. Maybe the law of attraction has some truth to-_

The sound of the keys jingling snapped me out of my mental ramblings and I whipped my heard towards the door. Edward with a napping Matt in his arms came in a second later followed by his parents.

"Did you guys have fun?" I tried to smile but I bet it came out pretty weird as Edward passed me our son. Matt was so out of it that he didn't even react to being passed to another person.

"Oh, yes. Matt was a very entertaining boy," Carlisle chuckled. "He loved throwing coins into the fountain,"

"I hope you didn't spend much on that," I said. "I know firsthand how much he enjoys chucking pennies into the water,"

"Don't worry about it, Bella," Carlisle all but waved me off. "We only lost about ten of your American money,"

"Oh. Well, that's not so bad," I nodded.

"I believe I feel a bit peckish," Esme suddenly said then looked expectantly at me.

"Um, I think we still have some leftovers from lunch left if you want some," I told her. The look she gave clearly said that she did _not _want any of that. "Or I could whip up a few sandwiches, I suppose,"

"That would be lovely, Bella," she smiled at me a bit too patronizingly. "Carlisle and I shall wait in your sitting room, then,"

"Or perhaps we can help," Carlisle stepped forward with an apologetic expression. "Bella does too much in this house and it's only right we do our part,"

I grinned back at him and almost breathed a sigh of relief. Thank you Lord for Carlisle Cullen. The last thing I wanted to do right now was act as cook and maid for Mistress Demanding over there especially since world war three would begin in a couple of hours and I desperately needed to tell Edward about it.

"Thanks. I really appreciate that. Do you mind waiting a bit before we get started? I'll just place Matt in his crib and be right back," I gestured to the baby in my arms and Carlisle nodded.

"Oh and uh, do you mind coming with me, Edward?" I shot my husband a look that clearly stated that he could not refuse.

Edward got the message but apparently didn't register my panicked undertone since he simply shrugged and followed me up the stairs. On the way to the nursery, I could hear Esme telling Carlisle something about being guests in the house and therefore, not needing to do any work.

"What's going on?" Edward asked as soon as I had our son settled in his crib. I turned to look at him and finally let all the alarm and dread fill my face.

"Bella? What is it? You're really scaring me,"

"Renee called," I told him as calmly as I could. "Apparently, she's only _hours _away from Los Angeles and expects me to pick her up in a few so she can see her grandson,"

I would have laughed at the look on Edward's face and made some comment about him looking like a weirdly posed statue if the situation wasn't so serious. He looked pretty ridiculous leaning against the dresser with _that _look on his face.

"What…she's…why?!" he whispered-yelled as soon as he regained his power of speech. "Bella, she can't come here! Not with my mother around,"

"You think I don't know that?" I whispered back and narrowed my eyes. "Why do you think I've been going out of my mind since she called me?"

"Why is she coming now? Her timing can't possibly get any worse,"

"Apparently she found some clothes for Matt that she just can't _wait _to see him wear,"

"Oh this is bad. This is _really _bad," Edward was now on his feet, hands in his hair, pacing the available space in Matt's nursery.

"Heh. That's what I said," I smirked.

"Is she staying here? Or will she check into a hotel. _Please _tell me she'll check into a hotel," he pleaded.

I automatically opened my mouth to answer but then I realized that I haven't even asked Renee that.

"I don't know," I admitted. "We…didn't really get the chance to talk about that,"

My answer didn't help Edward at all and just caused him to pull his hair even more.

"Okay," he said determinedly after a few more seconds. "Let's be logical about this. It's just going to be worse if we panic,"

"Right," I agreed. "So what's the plan?"

"As soon as you pick her up from the airport, convince Renee to check into a hotel her entire stay. Just…make up some excuse about the guest room not being good enough for her or something. Meanwhile, I'll take my parents out to dinner or something while Renee visits Matt. Make sure she's gone before we get home,"

"Well, that sounds fine and dandy for _tonight_ but what about the rest of the time my mother's here? We can't make them two passing ships for seven more days. I mean, we're not ninjas,"

Edward made a sound of defeat. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I got nothing else, though,"

"Guess we don't really have a choice but to make them see each other and hope they don't tear the place down," I sighed. "That seems impossible, though,"

"Amen," Edward rubbed his face tiredly. "It's like having a tsunami and a volcano erupting at the same time and praying that our home is sturdy enough to withstand both,"

"Which one is Esme, the volcano or the tidal wave?"

"Tidal wave, probably," he smiled despite the circumstances. "You should see her wipe out an entire house when she's angry. Takes literally five seconds,"

After giving each other last hang-in-there kisses, Edward and I walked back downstairs hand-in-hand. Esme and Carlisle weren't in the living room as I expected but to my utter surprise, were in the kitchen instead.

Standing side by side.

Cooking.

Yes, you heard me right.

_Cooking._

"Um, hey," I greeted awkwardly as I watched them from the doorway. Esme was painstakingly slicing a cucumber while Carlisle tried to figure out how to open a bag of Gardenia.

"Oh, hello. Didn't hear you come down," Carlisle offered a quick smile before looking frustratingly at the plastic-covered bread. "How on earth do you open this?"

"Sorry," I rushed over and hurriedly undid the complicated knot I tied the top part with. "I guess I did it too tight but can't have bread going stale,"

"It's alright," my father-in-law chuckled. "I understand. Been a while since I've stepped foot in a kitchen, I suppose,"

"I have to say, I'm really surprised to see you guys here," Edward remarked. "I don't think I've ever seen you two hold kitchen utensils and food as a kid. Why are you cooking, anyway?"

"Please, Edward," Esme sounded like she just rolled her eyes; I couldn't tell since she was so concentrated on her work. "Just because we have others to do this for us back home doesn't mean we don't know how to do it ourselves,"

"Yes, mother, I'm sure you absolutely know what you're doing," Edward's face looked like he was holding back laughter. I couldn't blame him though. You'd think Esme was performing heart surgery the way she was dealing with that cucumber.

"And to answer your question, your father and I are reduced to being kitchen maids because you and your wife were taking too long doing whatever it was you were doing upstairs!"

"Oh hush now, Esme. I'm actually quite enjoying this," Carlisle grinned as he peeled off the individual slices of cheese I had in the fridge. "I hope you don't mind us going through your supplies, Bella,"

"It's cool," I answered. "You guys just take whatever you need. I was planning to go grocery shopping sometime this week anyway,"

"I don't know how our chef goes through this day after day, Carlisle," my drama-in-law whined, not even halfway through the green vegetable on her chopping board.

As she droned on about how her 'delicate, feminine hands' were 'simply not made' for 'menial labor' meant for the 'lowly house staff', I chanced a glance at the wall clock. Renee would be landing in LAX soon which meant I had to get going.

"Where are you going?" Edward's arms snaked around my waist as I moved away to get my car keys.

"Picking up the volcano," I told him.

That reminder caused him to groan quietly as he pressed his lips to my forehead then my lips. "Good luck,"

"Thanks. We both need it," I leaned on my toes and pecked his lips a few more times. "I'll see you soon,"

Esme was still complaining rather loudly when I left but I did manage to wave goodbye to Carlisle. He didn't question where I was going but just waved back.

Luckily – or unluckily, depending how you look at it – there weren't much people out in town and I got to the airport rather quickly. Edward's Aston was a stand out amongst the other sedans in the parking lot but I was still happy of my choice of vehicle. He never really uses it much so the paps have no idea that he owns it.

I was dressed very casually so I blended in well with the rest of the LAX crowd as I waited for my mother to arrive. No one recognized me, thankfully, and I was left to stand there and contemplate nervously in peace.

It wasn't long until the arrivals were announced and I saw the mass exodus of travelers come closer. I heard a lot of names being shouted and I was happy my mother didn't do anything stupid and shout my name like that. Instead, she just walked straight towards me and pulled me into a hug.

"I missed you, Bella," she murmured into my hair. "It's really good to see you again,"

"You too," I smiled and pulled back. "You look really good, mom,"

And she did. Her tan looked good and I noticed she was growing her hair out. It was currently braided down her back and was decorated with, surprisingly, daisies.

"What's with the flowers by the way? It's very hippie," I asked as I gestured to her locks.

"Oh, didn't I mention? I'm a florist now," she said. "I bought an old flower shop a few months ago and brought it back to life. It's amazing how calming working with plants can be. And yes, I suppose the call of a more laid-back lifestyle was too strong for me to resist,"

"Really? That's great mom," and I was being honest. She seemed a lot happier and had more glow to her skin now that she was reliving the '70's than when she was the cold, frigid school principal I remember from childhood memories.

"Yes, it really is. It's how I managed to find the shop where I got the cute little clothes for Little Matthew, actually. The store's right next tomine," she explained.

"Oh. Awesome. Uh, why don't we talk more about that in the car. Where's your luggage?" I turned my attention back to her face and away from some dudes with cameras I saw looking my way from the corner of my eye.

"I only have this carry on," she said. "Such a hassle having to carry around so much bags,"

"Right. Let's go then," I took her small bag in one hand and her wrist in another as I walked swiftly out of the airport. No one followed me out, at least.

I asked Renee where she planned to stay the entire time she was here and I internally cursed when she said that she'd love to stay at one of the guest rooms.

"I'd love to be Little Matthew's nanny for a few days," she said. "That way, you and Edward can get some well deserved sleep. Your eye bags look worse than how they were the last time I saw you,"

I ignored that. "You don't have to do that, mom. Why don't you just stay at a hotel? Things are…uh, pretty hectic back home,"

Renee _psh_-ed rather loudly. "Nonsense. The whole point of this trip was to spend some time with my grandson. Are you really going to keep me from doing that?"

"Guess not," I muttered and sighed before entering our neighborhood. I offered to carry Renee's bag inside after we parked in the garage but she insisted that it wasn't necessary. Honestly, it wasn't politeness that compelled me to offer, it was more of safety concerns. Her shit was really heavy and if used properly, could do some serious head trauma on Esme.

_Calm yo mental tits, Bella. It's not like they're going to start bitch-smacking each other as soon as you walk in._

Renee entered first and I followed very closely behind to make sure that the in-laws were a safe distance away. Unfortunately, they were in the living room having their sandwiches and more tea.

"Hey Bella," Edward stood and greeted in a strangely high tone. He cleared his throat and attempted to speak normally again. "Hi Renee. It's good to see you again,"

"Edward. You too," my mother nodded at him before noticing the other people in the room.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you had other guests,"

"Um, yeah," I stepped forward. "Mom, you remember Carlisle and Esme. Edward's parents. They, uh, flew in from England a couple of days ago,"

"Oh yes. Of course," Renee smiled slightly. "Pleasure to see you two again,"

"Likewise," Carlisle smiled warmly and stood up. "You're Renee, right? Bella's mother?"

Renee nodded at the same time, Esme got on her feet as well.

"Well, now I suppose I see where Bella gets her more…_unrefined _habits," she eyed my mom from head to toe and took in her open sandals, capris and sleeveless shirt with batik designs. Her more laid-back fashion was definitely a big contrast to Esme's designer duds.

"Excuse me? _Unrefined?" _Renee raised an eyebrow. "I'll have you know that I raised my children to have good manners and a good, _tactful, _attitude," she kinda sneered at the word.

Esme scoffed. "You honestly can't tell me that you walk around in _public _wearing _that!" _she pointed a manicured finger to the flowers in mom's braid. "I mean, really,"

Carlisle had now placed a hand on his wife's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down and my mom looked like she was about to pounce but then the room was suddenly filled with cries from the baby monitor. Matt must be up and starving.

"I'll get him," both Renee and Esme declared at the same time then shot daggers at each other before racing up the stairs.

"This doesn't look good," I muttered as Edward, Carlisle and I followed behind them to make sure no one was injured. I'll admit that I was a little impressed to see that Esme had made it to the nursery unscathed despite her ridiculously thin stilettos.

"There you are, Little Matthew," Renee cooed as she got to the crib first and gently lifted her grandson out. "Grandma missed you,"

Matt quieted down but was still a little fussy, most probably because he was hungry. Esme must have realized this too and quickly got to the warming bottle nearby and all but demanded Renee to hand the baby over.

"I can feed my grandson myself, thank you very much," my mom all but snorted as she snatched the bottle from Esme's hand and all but stomped her feet going to the rocking chair.

"You're not doing it correctly!" Esme shrieked. "His head is supposed to be _raised! _You're going to choke my grandson!"

"I've fed my babies this way and none of them have _choked _to death," Renee sneered.

Esme gasped and retaliated immediately which caused my mother to do the same and soon it was a flurry of words between them while Matt just lay in Renee's arms, not caring about what was happening as long as he got some grub in his tummy.

I groaned and laid my head against Edward's chest. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and patted me understandingly with his free hand as Carlisle, who looked tired as ever, sighed and shook his head.

Looks like the grandma wars have begun.


	41. Chapter 41 - A Futuretake

The next few days were…awkward.

Scratch that. The next few days were freakin' _tense._

After the blow out in Matt's nursery, Carlisle, Edward and I managed to break up the would-be cat fight and distracted them in different parts of the house. Carlisle took Esme out for a short walk while Renee played with Matt in the living room. All was calm even when the in-laws returned and carried on like that when we all sat around the table for dinner.

However, the wars resumed after the sun set and a new day began.

Renee and Esme seemed to be competing for the title of Matt's favorite grandma as they showered him with gifts, attention and everything else you can think of. Between rounds, they gave each other cold looks and exchanged some choice words which always left me wondering how the house was still standing.

The only person who wasn't affected at all by all the chaos was Matt. All he ever did was nap, eat, poop and enjoy whatever was given to him which was a _lot. _I knew I had to donate some toys to charity or something if I wanted his nursery to have _some _kind of walkway.

Four days have passed and the atmosphere still hasn't cooled off. The mothers were still treating each other like great evils, only communicating to gloat, insult or defend. To say things were stressful would be a complete and utter understatement.

Luckily, Edward's way of relieving that stress was sex. And lots of it. He'd make me orgasm at least four times before letting himself go inside me and I wasn't complaining about that one bit. Hours later, after we're both spent and sweaty, he'd start kissing whatever body part of mine was available to him and yet another round of hot lovin' would begin.

The sex definitely helped me ease up some and made handling the whole in-laws situation a lot easier for the both of us. I wondered about Carlisle though. The poor man doesn't seem to have any type of release.

During dinner, everything was pretty much the same. Renee and Esme sat across each other in the dining table shooting each other acidic looks as they pushed the dinner I made around their plates. Carlisle sat warily next to his wife, his eyes reverting to the knife that was in grabbing distance from her ever so often while Edward and I stayed as close to each other as possible.

No one was speaking and I had a feeling it was because we didn't want anyone to be set off. Still, the silence was kinda stifling. Carlisle decided to try to ease into breaking it first.

"This is delicious, Bella," he offered kindly. "You're a very talented cook,"

"Oh. Uh, thanks," I smiled back and looked at his plate still filled with food. It was obvious that Carlisle lost his appetite during stressful situations.

I, however, was the opposite. I had already gone through my third helping of chicken ala king and I could still use a fourth one. Once again, I was thankful for my weird metabolism. I think I'd been as big as a whale at this rate if I didn't have it.

"Yes, it's wonderful," Renee added, much to my surprise. She never was big on compliments. "You're going to spoil your husband if all the meals you feed him are this good,"

"Trust me, she already does," Edward smiled and kissed my cheek before rubbing his flat stomach. "I'm going to get fat if she keeps it up,"

I snorted as Carlisle laughed lightly. Edward was nowhere _near _fat. Hell, he still has his abs and pecs intact.

"Yes, your culinary skills are very…good, Bella," Esme forced a smile onto her face. "But you better watch what you eat. I won't have my grandson suffering from something because of your incompete-"

"Yes, yes, don't worry, Esme. My…milk isn't affected by anything I've been eating," I interrupted in the most polite tone I could muster and resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Alice had already warned me of colic and the foods that could possibly cause it as soon as I had Matt home.

Esme didn't reply but turned her nose up a little and continued to push peas around with her fork.

"What exactly is it that you're insinuating?" Renee asked then and I froze mid-bite.

_Hoooooo boy…_

"I'm not insinuating anything," Esme scoffed.

"Yes you most certainly were," my mother shot back. "Bella is a perfectly good mother and my grandson is as healthy as a horse!"

"Of course _you _would deem her the epitome of good motherhood seeing how you've raised your own children,"

"My children grew up to be fine people!"

"You call the-"

"_ENOUGH!"  
><em>

I almost jumped in my seat when another voice suddenly rose. Renee and Esme ceased all actions and words at once and my eyes widened when I realized where the loud, booming voice came from.

Carlisle.

He had stood up, his tall frame seeming even taller as his usually calm features were painted with rage and frustration. His hands were clenched into fists by his side and his breaths were shallow.

"I've had enough of this constant yelling!" he continued to rant as a hand went through his hair. "Can there be no moment of silence for the few s_ane _people who are staying in this house?!"

He paused to take a deep breath before turning to Esme. "My dear wife, you know I love you very much but I can no longer take your attitude. Bella is the mother of your grandson and future grandchildren, the wife of your son, practically our _daughter _yet you still treat her like some piece rubbish Edward picked off the street!

"She has been nothing but kind to us even after what you did to her in Paris and you show absolutely no appreciation of that! I thought we were finally past everything after you found out she was pregnant but _that _clearly isn't the case,"

I was kinda wondering about the sudden attitude shift too. I mean, she was so _nice_ after she found out I was expecting. What the hell happened?

"And now despite her _mother_ being here, you _still _look down on her! And in her own house, no less. And it's not only this with Bella. You've been such a headache to me and your son as well with all your materialism. What happened to the lovely, carefree girl I used to know? I've stayed quiet and let you take over for far too long. It's time you make some changes, Esme, or I won't know what the ever loving _fuck _to do with you anymore!"

And with that, Carlisle stormed from the table and up the stairs in a dramatic fashion.

The dining room was suddenly very silent. No one moved an inch or made even the slightest sound. That is, until Esme tore out of the room as well, most probably after her very disgruntled husband.

"Wow," Edward breathed as he slumped against his chair's backrest. "Just…wow,"

"I know," I agreed and nodded slowly. "Has he ever gotten that angry?"

Edward shook his head. "No. I mean, I guess he scolded me a couple of times as a kid but he never blew up like _that,"_

"I think it's the first time I heard him curse,"

"I think that _was _the first time he cursed,"

Renee cleared her throat then. "Do you think I should apologize?"

"Honestly? No," Edward answered her. "I think this was long overdue, actually. My father has taken the backseat for too long and my mother…well, you heard what Carlisle said. Maybe this will give them both the chance to get better,"

"Well, I'm glad you think that," my mom smiled. "Because I didn't really want to apologize, to tell the truth,"

She smiled just as cries resonated from the baby monitor. Automatically, I began to stand but then Edward placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry. I got him,"

I grinned at him and kissed his cheek before he walked towards Matt's nursery. Renee sighed from her seat and leaned back.

"He's a good father," she remarked.

"Yeah, he is,"

"Bella, what did Carlisle say about how that witch treated you in Paris?"

I glanced at her, surprised at the sudden shift of the subject. Now that I think about it, I guess I never did tell her about the bitchiness and clichéd angst I had to go through in Paris. With a slight shrug, I awkwardly told her the story.

If my mother was pissed at Esme before, she was absolutely _fuming _at her now. She was out of her seat and pacing angrily as she spat out words I couldn't quite make out.

"Ma, calm yo…calm down," I quickly corrected myself. I had a feeling Renee would take 'calm yo tits' as something literal. "It's over with,"

"I just cannot believe that woman would have the gall to do that! No wait, of course she would pull something like that," she muttered. "Did you ever give her a piece of your mind?"

"Almost," I admitted. "But then she was so nice and supportive when we found out I was pregnant and I thought things were finally alright between us but that isn't the case, clearly,"

Renee sighed again and sat back down. "Well, I hope for her sake she'd do something. She's tried her husband's patience enough,"

We cleared the table together since it was obvious that dinner was over and worked quietly in the kitchen. Everything was quiet upstairs and I wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

The next morning, I was surprised to see packed bags near the front door – Esme and Carlisle's packed bags. I asked Edward if he knew what was up but he was just as clueless as I was so we went to find both his parents for some answers.

"We're…going on a little vacation," Carlisle explained with a small smile. "We have a lot to work out between us and it isn't wise to drag you both into it though you've been very wonderful hosts,"

"But you and mom are okay?" Edward clarified. I knew he must have been thinking about his parents getting a divorce.

"We're fine, we're fine," Carlisle assured him. "We just…need some time alone,"

I nodded in understanding. "I hope things work out for you,"

"Thank you. I hope the same,"

Edward and I were helping in placing their numerous bags into the Volvo a couple of minutes later when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Bella?"

I turned around to see a tired looking Esme. Her eyes were rimmed red from crying and for the first time, she was wearing jeans and an old shirt.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

I nodded tentatively and followed her back into the house where she sat in the living room. It was still pretty early – nine in the morning – and Renee and Matt were outside playing on the grass. I could see them sitting in the dirt through the window.

"I'm sorry,"

I suddenly turned back to Esme who was fidgeting and wringing her hands.

_This week just keeps getting weirder and weirder…_

"I'm sorry," she said again and I could practically see her pride stopping her from saying anything more but she resisted. "For what I did to you before. I know I never apologized for that and…and I'm sorry for how I've treated you since I've been here as well. I realize it was very rude of me to…to do the things I did and say the things I've said especially in your own house. I sincerely hope that one day you'll forgive me,"

She looked up from her lap after she spoke and looked at me expectantly. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but all I did was just that – open my mouth and gape at her.

Eventually, I managed to clear my throat and make words come out of my mouth.

"Don't…it's okay, Esme," I told her. "I mean, if it weren't for what you did back then, Edward wouldn't have gone after me and…well, you sped up the process of us getting together,"

She raised an eyebrow at me but then quickly lowered it and cleared her throat.

"Is that so," she said and I nodded.

"Yeah. And, well, everything else you did, I guess I'm kinda over it. I don't appreciate it but what's done is done and I…I'm happy that you said sorry,"

She smiled slightly and started wringing her hands again.

"I have a question, though," I spoke again. "After you found out we were having a baby, you were really nice to me but after Matt was born…I'm wondering what happened,"

Esme thought about it for a second before answering.

"I suppose I don't know how to explain it properly," she began. "But I'll try. It's no secret that I've wanted grandbabies and I still do and I wanted them any way I could get them. When I found out about your condition, I was absolutely overjoyed. Never mind the fact that I thought you weren't good enough for our name. You were giving me something I wanted so badly.

"After the baby was born…I don't know. The bitterness grew back, I suppose, and while I love my grandson dearly, I still have trouble accepting you,"

While it was nice to finally understand where she was coming from, I felt a little…I dunno, weird as I processed what she said. I wasn't offended by any means especially since I have issues accepting Esme as my mother-in-law too but…well, anyway, regardless of what I was feeling it was clear that it was going to take some time on both our parts to work out a civil relationship.

Meanwhile, it looked like she still had some issues with her husband to work out.

**Merry Christmas.**


	42. Chapter 42 - A Futuretake

"Hi Mrs. Cullen,"

"Oh. Hello," I smiled at the random teenage girl who showed up at my door step. I already had an idea of why she was there and her next words confirmed it.

"Is Matt home?"

My lips twisted into an involuntary smirk. At seventeen years old, Matt was definitely a looker. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Armed with his father's height and devastatingly good looks, all the girls at his high school really didn't stand a chance.

"Yes, but he's still asleep," I told her. "Would you like to wait for him to wake up inside?"

The girl blinked and looked at her watch before saying "Um…sure,"

I knew she must be thinking that it was weird for Matt to still be asleep at one in the afternoon but this was just the norm with my son. It's not that he's always out partying or anything. In fact, it's the complete opposite. He spent his nights and very early mornings in front of game consoles or pigging out in the kitchen. The boy was lucky he had my metabolism otherwise he'd probably be overweight.

"Oh and uh, I'm Bree, by the way," the girl hastened to introduce herself as I shut the door close behind us.

"Nice to meet you," I smiled and silently appraised her. Not unlike the past girls who have come over, Bree had a head of long blonde hair and had showy clothes. At least she was wearing flats instead of the sky high heels I've seen on some.

_The times haven't really changed that much, have they._

I shook my head and was about to go back to the kitchen when I noticed that Bree was still standing awkwardly in the living room.

"Have a seat. I'm sure Matt won't be long," I glanced at the stairs. "Can I know what you're here for exactly?"

"Oh, he's my History partner," she offered as she sat on one of the sofas. "We…have a project to work on,"

"Ah," Uhuh. Sure you do.

"Mom?"

I turned around to see my ten year old boy Christian walk towards me with a book in his hands. He tugged on my shirt and pointed to a word on the page. "What does this mean?"

Despite his tender age, Chris was absolutely obsessed with books. His room was practically a library with the number of floor to ceiling shelves we had built to accommodate his growing collection. A habit I noticed when he read however was that he refused to learn new words through context clues. He always had to ask me, Edward or Matt what they meant.

"Not now, buddy. We have a visitor," I ruffled his hair and smiled at Bree who tentatively smiled back at the little boy by my side.

"Aw, great. There's another one?!" Chris groaned and shook his head. Bree's eyes widened as she blushed. She probably only realized then that she wasn't the first girl to pay Matt a home visit.

"Chris, be nice," I warned. "He's your brother's friend,"

"Friend?" he asked, his nose scrunching. "But I heard Matt say that he doesn't _want _any more ladies to come he-"

"Alright, Mr. Big Mouth. Why don't you go back to reading in the kitchen," I turned him around and began leading him back there when the guest of honor finally made his appearance.

"Morning ma," Matt greeted he walked down the stairs. In true man fashion, he managed to scratch his stomach and yawn hugely before even making it all the way down.

"Well good afternoon to you too," I smirked at him.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Afternoon. So what's for breakfast? Do we have any bacon left?"

"Lunch is already done and no we don't have any bacon left. You can thank your brother for that,"

"Well, what do we have to eat then? I'm starving, ma," he complained.

"Maybe you can stop thinking about your stomach for a moment, boy. You have a guest,"

Confusion colored Matt's green eyes before he turned his head and finally registered the presence of Bree, who was once again awkwardly standing up.

"Hi Matt," she greeted shyly.

"Uh…hey," he replied. "What're you doing here?"

"Oh. I was just, um, wondering about the History thing,"

"What History thing?"

"You know…the project we were supposed to work on? We're partners remember?"

Matt thought for a second before finally responding. "Ooooh. Uh, yeah, see about that Bree. I kinda told Mr. Baxter that I'm working individually,"

To say Bree was disappointed was an understatement; it was written all over her face. She blinked and forced a smile on her face. "Oh. But, um, he said that we were supposed to be paired up with our seatmates. And well, that's you for me,"

"We're an uneven number in class so someone's bound to work alone. I already talked to him about it and he said it's okay if I wanted to do it on my own. It's fine, really. Anyway you can pair up with Neil Pearson. He doesn't really have a partner since his seat at the back is kind of a loner,"

Bree's face fell a little more and I had to work hard to contain the laughter that was threatening to burst from my lips. Matt playing the heartbreaker was very entertaining though I do feel kinda bad for the girl.

"Okay," she said quietly. "I'll just…um…I'll go talk to…Neil, then,"

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea,"

"Okay," she said again, quieter this time. "I guess I'll get going. Thanks for…letting me in, Mrs. Cullen," she turned to me and forced another smile on her face.

"It's no problem," I grinned back at her.

"Bye Matt," she gazed longingly at my son who just gave an awkward wave in return. As soon as she left, I turned to him with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"Nice, Matthew. Real smooth,"

"What? I wasn't lying," he held his hands up.

"Oh really,"

"Well…okay not exactly. I still need to talk to my teacher about the individual project thing but c'mon, ma, can you blame me?"

"I take it Bree isn't your type then,"

"Oho, Bree is _far _from my type. I know she seemed all polite and stuff just now but at school? She's pretty bitchy. Can't count the number of times I've seen or heard her picking on some innocent freshman," he shuddered and shook his head. "Did you ever have to deal with girls like that?"

I snorted. "Do you really have to ask that? I practically had to beat women like that away from your father with a stick on a daily basis,"

Matt grinned. "Oh yeah. Groupies,"

"Yeah. Groupies," I repeated dryly. "Hell, I _still_ do that these days,"

Although New Moon hasn't played in a long while and Edward has been focusing more on writing and producing for other artists, he still had women stopping him whenever he went out. The moms at the kids' school were particularly flirty with him. Not that I blame them, I guess. At forty-five, he was still as handsome as when he was younger if not even more. His hair was still the same gorgeous shade of bronze and it never outgrew its tousled look.

"Playground moms getting to you, ma?" Matt teased.

"No," I stated matter-of-factly as I walked to the kitchen. "I find it disturbing that married women feel the need to flirt with your father despite the fact that he already has three children with his very hot wife, yes, but they're no competition,"

"Hot wife, huh," he snickered as he followed me.

"Well, your dad still seems to think so," I said. "And he reminds me. Every night," Repeatedly. While the headboard slams against the wall and I try to muffle my screams.

Smart idea to move the kids' rooms over at the other side of the house.

Matt was silent for a few moments before his face scrunched up in understanding. "Aw, gross! I don't need to know that you two still do…it. And _every night?_"

"What do you and dad do every night, mom?"

I honestly forgot that Chris was in the same room. Shooting Matt a look, I quickly dispelled any awkward conversations.

"Nothing, honey. Your brother's just being funny,"

"Did he mean you guys sleep every night?"

"Right. That's exactly what he meant,"

Chris giggled. "But mom, e_verybody _goes to sleep at night. Matt, you're being silly,"

Matt just rolled his eyes and began to assemble his brunch.

A few moments later, the back door opened and the sounds of my two other favorite people in the world burst through the kitchen.

"Mommy!" Charlie squealed as she ran towards me.

"Hi baby," I crouched and gave her a hug. "How was the park?"

"It was so much fun! I got to play on the swing and the sandbox and Clifford left daddy another surprise in his car! His face was so funny when he saw it!"

I raised an eyebrow and stifled a laugh. 'Surprise' was the term my five year old daughter used to substitute dog poop, as in dog poop Clifford the Labrador-Collie mix loved to leave in the Volvo.

"Really? Well, that must've been fun for daddy then,"

"Yeah. _Fun," _Edward stated dryly as he came closer. Charlie went to sit next to Chris in the breakfast nook and decided to make another piece of refrigerator art as my husband wrapped an arm around my waist. He planted a kiss on my temple and whispered "Remind me again why we keep that dog?"

"Because you can't say no to your daughter?" I chuckled. "And because it forces you to exercise,"

My hand discreetly ran over his hard stomach where his abs were still very much in place thanks to daily jogs around the block with Clifford. Oh, and regular visits to the gym of course.

"Right," he placed a hand on my wrist to stop me from moving it elsewhere and lifted it to place a kiss on my palm.

"You know, speaking of exercise Matt, do you ever plan on doing any?" he turned to our son who was currently stuffing his face.

"Nope," Matt replied with a mouthful of bread. He swallowed and looked at his skinny arm. "I mean it's not like I'm fat or anything,"

"No you aren't but don't you want to pack in a bit of muscle? Score a couple of girls?"

"Actually, Edward, he already does," I informed my husband with a knowing smirk.

Edward understood immediately and raised an amused eyebrow at his son. "So another one came over, huh,"

"Dad," Matt groaned. "Can we not talk about this please?"

"Why not? This is the fourth girl that came over. Or is it the fifth,"

"I'm not having this discussion,"

"Oh come on," Edward chided playfully. "Who was she? Was she hot? Pretty?"

"Ma, make him stop," he moaned and I laughed.

"Sorry but I'm not interfering with your little father-son talk,"

Luckily, Chris decided to interrupt with a question then and spared his older brother further embarrassment.

"Mom, where'd our names come from?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Like, why'd you name me Chris? And why'd you name Matt, Matt and Charlie, Charlie,"

"Why do you ask, buddy?"

"It's for my homework," he lifted his school notebook. Apparently he already finished the book he was reading earlier.

"Well," Edward spoke from beside me. "Charlie's named after your great grandma Charlotte from my side but we call her Charlie like your grandpa,"

"Oh, okay," Chris nodded in understanding and began scribbling. He paused after a while and asked "What about me and Matt?"

"Chris, you were named Christian because you were conceived after mom read _Fifty Shades of-"_

"Matthew!"

Matt guffawed loudly before looking over at my flushed expression. "What? That's what I heard Aunt Alice say,"

My cheeks continued to burn but luckily, Chris didn't notice as his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Wait, I don't get it. Why did you name me Christian?"

"Because once we saw you after you were born, we just knew what to name you," Edward answered smoothly. "It was like you came with your own name tag,"

"And Matt?"

"The same thing happened to him too,"

"Okay, but what was Matt saying earlier about mom reading something? Can I read it too?"

"Your brother's just being funny again, Chris," I told him before giving my older boy a glare.

Later, when the children were dispersed to different parts of the house – Matt in the game room, Chris outside with Clifford and Charlie playing with her dolls in the living room – Edward sidled behind me and began nibbling on my ear.

"You know, Chris' homework got me thinking," he murmured.

"What?" I tilted my head to the side as his lips moved to my neck.

"We had a lot of fun making him, didn't we?"

The laugh that escaped my throat was breathy. "Yeah, we really did,"

"You'll have to remind me to thank Rosalie for giving you those books again," his hands were travelling higher up my body then. "What do you say to having a repeat performance of that?"

I turned in his arms and linked my hands around his neck.

"I'll race you upstairs,"

**Fic rec: **_**The Moonless Night **_**by sanutaz ( www. /s/8908028/1/The-moonless-night)**


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